An Air Algérie plane flew between Algiers and Johannesburg, setting a new record for the company. The plane was carrying Finance Minister Laaziz Faid on his way to the BRICS summit and was given a proper welcome on the tarmac.
A special day for Algerian aviation. The national airline, Air Algérie, has set its flight record on the African continent, connecting Algiers to Johannesburg. A nine-hour trip, was made on August 21 by an Airbus A330, which also had to make a detour to avoid Niger’s airspace.
The exploit could be appreciated very closely by the Algerian authorities, since the Minister of Finance, LaazizFaid was on board, in the company of several officials going to the XVth BRICS summit, in South Africa, reports the specialized site Simple Flying. On the tarmac, the plane was also treated to a “water salute”, being happily greeted by water cannons.
First of a long series
The return trip for the A330 is scheduled for August 24, the day that will mark the end of the BRICS summit. But Air Algérie does not intend to stop there, since direct flights to the South African capital will be officially launched on September 21, twice a week.
This new connection will help strengthen relations between Algeria and South Africa, said Algerian Minister of Transport, Youcef Cherfa, who participated in the inauguration ceremony of this first flight.
The country has also opened other links to Africa recently, to Dakar, Abidjan, Ouagadougou and Bamako among others, recalled the minister. The authorities thus aim to make Algiers airport “an airport hub and a transit platform to Africa and the rest of the world”.
Air Algérie had also opened a link between Algiers and Saint Petersburg at the end of July. “We expect a lot from the Russians, to come and travel to Algeria”, Yacine Benslimane, boss of the company, recently explained to Sputnik Afrique .
Algeria wants in particular to capitalize on the reopening of the Saharan regions to foreign tourists. The oasis of Djanet and the park of Tassili n’Ajer, famous for its rock paintings, have also met with great success, since the country has eased visa procedures to get there.
