Commerce companions welcomed Air Algérie (AH) to South Africa final week, with the airline’s inaugural flight between Algiers and Johannesburg. The airline will function two flights every week on the route from September 21.
ALG-JNB is the airline’s forty fifth worldwide route and its seventh in Africa.
The inaugural flight carried a high-level delegation from Algeria, together with ministry and embassy officers, the airline’s govt management staff, and international press. The inaugural flight was scheduled to coincide with final week’s 2023 BRICS Summit.
Yacine Benslimane, CEO of Air Algérie, stated the brand new service would create new alternatives for commerce and journey from each nations. “The flights will enable passengers and financial operators a further technique of travelling and transporting their cargo to North Africa, Europe, North America, and the Center East.”
Air Algérie plans so as to add flights to Addis Ababa and Douala later this yr. Caracas and Havana will comply with early in 2024 and a brand new hyperlink to the US, Algiers to New York, can also be on the playing cards, topic to the profitable conclusion of negotiations between Algeria’s authorities and the US.
Ticket gross sales are already open for the brand new service between ALG and JNB. Flights are scheduled to depart ALG on Sundays and Wednesdays, arriving in JNB the next day.
Algeria, the most important nation in Africa, has robust Arabic and French influences and is thought for its wealthy oil and gasoline reserves.
“The launch of this new route between Algeria and South Africa comes as a boon to Intra-Africa journey. Moreover, it re-establishes a relationship that started within the ’80s between the nations and will likely be an enabler for development in commerce and tourism,” added Achma Asokan, Group CEO, AirlinePros Worldwide. “It helps Algeria’s plans to broaden the nationwide airline’s community and make Algiers a significant North African hub. Algiers will quickly turn into a handy transit level for southern African passengers seeking to journey onward to Asia, Europe, Canada and South America.”
AirlinePros South Africa represents Air Algérie in South Africa.
For South African travellers, the brand new service means a handy transport hub and gateway to North Africa. The airline’s community additionally connects with greater than 40 worldwide locations together with Montreal, Paris, and Beijing.
New vacationer routes
Stakeholders are excited concerning the potential to develop tourism between Algeria and SA.
Sthembiso Dlamini, CEO of Gauteng’s Tourism Authority, which is a member of Gauteng’s Air Entry Challenge, the extremely profitable initiative to develop connectivity between Gauteng and strategic regional and worldwide markets, was offered on the potential of the brand new route. Dlamini additionally famous that North Africa was a rising supply of exhibitions, company conferences and occasions enterprise for South Africa.
“We are going to enter into joint advertising and marketing agreements with the airline to showcase a number of the merchandise and experiences that we’ve in Gauteng,” the CEO added. “In Gauteng, we’ve a really robust commerce and funding focus, so any airline or any new route means quite a bit from a commerce and funding perspective, and we’ll construct these relations.”
Jabulani Khambule, Regional GM of Airports Firm South Africa, agreed that the launch was a significant win for Gauteng province. “That is nice and really encouraging after COVID-19. We’re additionally blissful that it’s an African airline coming to South Africa, which is able to contribute to intra-African commerce and develop the trade. We’re very excited… It’s a giant win for the Air Entry Challenge in Gauteng.”
“We’re connecting North and South Africa with an intensive community, which we’re very enthusiastic about, and it’s a nice alternative for AirlinePros South Africa and the remainder of our international community,” concluded Karin Matodes, Managing Companion AirlinePros Worldwide in South Africa.