The Algerian authorities want to take advantage of Tamanrasset’s geographical position to make it a hub dedicated to the transport of passengers and freight in Africa. According to an aviation expert approached by Sputnik, such a project involves the creation of a new mixed-capital airline that will serve the main cities of the continent.
“ Ladies and gentlemen, we are starting our descent on Tamanrasset International Airport. Passengers connecting to Addis Ababa, Brazzaville, N’Djamena and Cairo are asked to go to the transit area. This announcement, people who travel to Africa may be able to hear it in a few years, in Tamanrasset.
Indeed, the capital of Hoggar, located 2,000 kilometres south of Algiers, was chosen by the Algerian authorities to host the future air hub for the African continent. The announcement was made by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the Council of Ministers held on Sunday, October 4.
“The President of the Republic has given guidelines for the preparation of a platform for an Algerian airport hub in Tamanrasset in collaboration with specialists and experts to access African markets,” said a press release from the presidency.
This declaration is part of a new development plan for the aviation sector that the Ministry of Transport is required to implement.
Strategic situation
The choice of Tamanrasset is not fortuitous. This Sahelian city, located at the gateway to West Africa, has solid assets to become a leading airport platform. The creation of a hub – a space where transit passengers can eat, sleep and shop – will, however, require the construction of new infrastructure. The existing international airport Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok, for civil and military use, is not suitable for such a project.
Lamine Chouiter, CEO of Melya Global Services, a company based in Dubai, is an Algerian businessman who has participated in the establishment of airlines in the Gulf countries. He explains to Sputnik that Algeria must take advantage of Tamanrasset’s strategic position to develop its economy. To illustrate the strengths of “Tam”, he cites the example of a passenger who wishes to go from Dakar to N’Djamena. “ To make only one stopover, our traveller must currently transit through Paris. An exhausting journey lasting 24 hours on average costing more than 1,000 euros. A stopover in southern Algeria will shorten the itinerary by several hours for a much lower price. “
He regrets, however, that this project has not been received as it should by Algerian economic circles.
“The creation of an air hub in the Hoggar region is certainly one of the biggest projects to be launched in Algeria. I have the impression that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s announcement was not fully appreciated in his own country. Yet it is revolutionary. Friends from several African states, politicians and businessmen welcomed this declaration with joy, ”says Lamine Chouiter.
Air Algeria out
According to him, the development of the aviation sector can make Algeria gain growth points and create a dynamic in a large part of North and sub-Saharan Africa by participating in the resolution of the mobility issue that suffers from it. the continent. For Lamine Chouiter, however, this hub will require the launch of a new airline dedicated exclusively to Africa.
“ You need a company that can manage this international infrastructure. Air Algeria, which is in great difficulty and which has shown its limits, is not able to take up such a challenge, ”he notes.
Lamine Chouiter believes that this new company should be mixed public-private Algerian capital with the participation of shareholders from other African states. “ It is necessary to have a continental involvement in this project. Flight personnel and sales staff can be recruited in several countries. It is important that this company has a strong African identity. “From an economic perspective, the Tamanrasset region will be the first to benefit from the creation of this hub.
“You have to imagine the opportunity that such an airport infrastructure represents for the city of Tamanrasset and for the whole of southern Algeria. Setting up a hub and a company of this size in Tamanrasset will create wealth and extraordinary economic dynamism. Tamanrasset must take advantage of this opportunity because Hoggar can become a great commercial, tourist, medical and even sporting destination in the Sahel region. ”
Regional stability
In addition to transporting passengers across the continent, the Tam hub is also expected to be an important freight hub.
“ It is possible to create a commercial and financial environment that will also benefit the northern regions of Mali and Niger and southern Libya, ” adds Lamine Chouiter.
In the grip of poverty and security problems, this part of the Sahel could gain in stability thanks to the influence of this project. “ We must now get out of the phase of the effects of advertisements and take action. This project is viable and can be completed within acceptable time frames. Beyond economic and development aspects, the Tamanrasset hub can above all become a central asset for Algerian diplomacy in Africa, ”notes Lamine Chouiter.
