On Aug. 14, Air Algérie achieved a significant milestone with the resumption of nonstop flights between Algiers and Beirut, ending a suspension caused by regional instability and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The inaugural service, operated by a Boeing 737-600 (registered as 7T-VJR), departed Algiers at 08:57 and landed at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport at 14:25 local time. The arrival was marked with an official reception attended by Lebanon’s Minister of Information, Paul Morcos, Algerian Ambassador Kamal Bou Shama, and Engineer Amin Jaber, Director General of Civil Aviation.
The twice-weekly service, scheduled on Sundays and Thursdays, was reinstated following recent discussions in Algiers between Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Air Algérie had suspended flights to Beirut on August 1, 2024, in response to security risks linked to Israeli military actions in Lebanon.
Looking beyond Beirut, Air Algérie is preparing to relaunch several suspended routes and introduce new destinations as part of its Winter 2025/26 schedule. On Nov. 1, the airline will resume flights to Budapest after a five-year pause, operating a triangular route linking Algiers, Budapest, and Vienna. This service will run twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays using a Boeing 737-700, reinstating a connection that was halted in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The revival of the Budapest service is part of a broader expansion strategy aimed at strengthening the carrier’s international footprint. By the end of 2025, Air Algérie plans to launch new long-haul flights to Guangzhou, China, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, alongside regional services to N’Djamena, Chad, Zanzibar, Tanzania, and Libreville, Gabon.
The airline also intends to relaunch Addis Ababa flights and increase capacity on its Abuja, Nigeria, service, which has been running twice weekly since April.
Speaking in April to the Algerian Press Service (APS), Marketing Director Hosnia Kaoua outlined additional destinations planned for the coming season, including New York, Caracas, Havana, and Amsterdam.
To support its growth, Air Algérie has reinforced its medium- and long-haul operations through a series of wet-leases. On June 29, 2025, a leased Airbus A330-200 from Hi Fly Malta (registration 9H-HFI, MSN 805) entered service, helping cover long-haul operations while three of the airline’s own A330-200s remain grounded. These include 7T-VJC (MSN 1649), grounded since March 2025; 7T-VJW (MSN 647), grounded since December 2024; and 7T-VJZ (MSN 667), grounded since April 2025.
Additionally, since January 2025, Air Algérie has been operating an Airbus A340-300 (registered as YR-LRC) leased from Romania’s Legend Airlines to further ease pressure on its long-haul network.
On the medium-haul side, the airline continues to rely on supplementary leased aircraft. The latest is an Airbus A320 (registered as LZ-FSD, MSN 03461) from Bulgarian ACMI provider Fly2Sky, which joined the fleet on May 17, 2025. This marks the second partnership between the two carriers. Air Algérie is also operating two Airbus A320s from French operator Amelia (registrations F-HDRE and F-HBNA) and a Boeing 737-800 (registration 9H-SAT) leased from Ukraine’s SkyUp Airlines since February 2025.
