Houari Boumediene Airport (Arabic: مطار هواري بومدين الدولي, French: Aéroport d'Alger Houari Boumediene) (IATA: ALG, ICAO: DAAG), also known as Algiers Airport or Algiers International Airport, is an international airport serving Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It is located 9.1 NM (16.9 km; 10.5 mi) east southeast of the city.
The airport is named after Houari Boumediene, a former president of Algeria. Dar El Beïda, the area at which the airport is located, was known as Maison Blanche (White House), and the airport is called Maison Blanche Airport in much of the literature about the Algerian War of Independence. The Société de Gestion des Services et Infrastructures Aéroportuaires (SGSIA), more commonly known as "Airport of Algiers", is a Public Company established on 1 November 2006 to manage and operate the airport. The SGSIA has 2,100 employees.
The airport was created in 1924 and named Maison Blanche Airport. During World War II, Maison Blanche Airport was a primary objective of the Allied Operation Torch Eastern Task Force on 8 November 1942 and was seized by a combination of United States Army units, British Commandos and elements of a British Infantry Division. Opposition by Vichy French forces who defended the airport ended that same day, as orders from Admiral Darlan in Algiers were issued to cease all hostilities in North Africa.
Once in Allied hands, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command as a major transshipment hub for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel. It functioned as a stopover en route to Tafarquay Airport, near Oran or to Tunis Airport, Tunisia on the North African Cairo-Dakar transport route. It also flew personnel and cargo to Marseille, Milan, Naples and Palermo, Sicily. In addition, Twelfth Air Force A3 SECTION under the command of Lt. Col Carter E. Duncan 1943/44, used the airport as a command and control facility, headquartering its XII Bomber Command; XXII Tactical Air Command, and the 51st Troop Carrier Wing to direct combat and support missions during the North African Campaign against the German Afrika Korps Known Allied air force combat units assigned to the airfield were:
The International Terminal (Terminal 1) presents a capacity of 6 million passengers per year. It was inaugurated on 5 July 2006 by the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. International traffic is 2.5 million passengers per year, and the terminal holds 5000 car parking spaces, a taxi stand, a boarding area of 27,000 m², and 16 passenger gates.
The Domestic Terminal (Terminal 2), renovated in 2007, has a capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year. It offers conditions of comfort and security comparable to those of Terminal 1. Its domestic traffic is 1.5 million passengers per year. Terminal 2 is equipped with 20 check-in desks with a cafeteria, tearoom and prayer room. The terminal also has a pharmacy, perfumery, a hairdresser, watch retailers, luggage shops, games and toys as well as a tobacco/newspaper shop. There are 900 car parking spaces, a taxi stand, a boarding area of 5,000 m², with 7 gates, a luggage delivery area, and lounges for premium passengers.
Prior to Terminal 2's opening, Terminal 3 was used for operating domestic flights. In 2007, the terminal's use changed to pilgrimage and charter flights.
The following airlines have scheduled services to Houari Boumediene Airport as of April 2015:
Airlines | Destinations | Terminal-Hall |
---|---|---|
Aigle Azur | Basel/Mulhouse, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Paris–Orly,
Toulouse Seasonal: Bordeaux(resumes 16 June 2017), Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
1-1 |
Air Algérie | Alicante, Amman–Queen Alia, Bamako, Barcelona, Beijing–Capital,
Beirut, Bordeaux, Brussels, Budapest, Cairo, Casablanca, Dakar,
Dubai-International, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul–Atatürk,
Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen, Jeddah, Lille, Lisbon, London–Heathrow,
Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Medina, Metz/Nancy, Milan–Malpensa,
Montpellier, Montréal–Trudeau, Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Niamey, Nice,
Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Palma de Mallorca, Paris–Charles de
Gaulle, Paris–Orly, Rome–Fiumicino, Toulouse, Tunis, Vienna Seasonal: Berlin–Schönefeld, Porto(resumes 18 June 2017) |
1-2 |
Air Algérie | Adrar, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Bordj Mokhtar, Chlef, Constantine, Djanet, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Golea, El Oued, Ghardaia, Hassi Messaoud, Hassi R'Mel, Illizi, In Amenas, In Salah, Jijel, Laghouat, Mascara, Oran, Ouargla, Setif, Tamanrasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tlemcen, Touggourt | 2 |
Air Canada Rouge | Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau (begins 27 June 2017) | TBA |
Air France | Paris–Charles de Gaulle | 1-1 |
Alitalia | Rome–Fiumicino | 1-1 |
Atlas Atlantique Airlines | Châlons-Vatry | 1-1 |
British Airways | London–Gatwick | 1-1 |
EgyptAir | Cairo | 1-1 |
Emirates | Dubai-International | 1-1 |
Iberia | Madrid | 1-1 |
Libyan Airlines | Tripoli | 1-1 |
Lufthansa | Frankfurt | 1-1 |
Nouvelair | Tunis | 1-1 |
Qatar Airways | Doha | 1-1 |
Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca | 1-1 |
Royal Jordanian | Amman–Queen Alia | 1-1 |
Saudia | Jeddah, Medina | 1-1 |
Syrian Air | Damascus | 1-1 |
TAP Portugal operated by TAP Express |
Lisbon | 1-1 |
Tassili Airlines | Marseille, Nantes, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Strasbourg | 1-2 |
Tassili Airlines | Adrar, Annaba, Béchar, Biskra, Constantine, Djanet, El Bayadh, El Oued, Ghardaia, Hassi Messaoud, Hassi R'Mel, Illizi, In Salah, Oran, Setif, Tamanrasset, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tlemcen | 2 |
Transavia France | Lyon Seasonal: Nantes |
1-1 |
TUIfly Belgium | Charleroi | 1-1 |
Tunisair | Tunis | 1-1 |
Turkish Airlines | Istanbul–Atatürk Seasonal: Antalya (begins 9 July 2017) |
1-1 |
Vueling | Alicante, Barcelona, Marseille, Valencia Seasonal: Palma de Mallorca |
1-1 |
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Air Algérie Cargo | Dubai-International, Frankfurt, Istanbul-Atatürk, London-Heathrow, Lyon, Munich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumicino, Tunis |
Air France Cargo | Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
Cargolux | Luxembourg |
Emirates SkyCargo | Dubai–Al Maktoum |
Royal Air Maroc Cargo | Brussels, Casablanca, Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
Royal Jordanian Cargo | Amman-Queen Alia, Maastricht/Aachen |
Swiftair | Madrid |
Turkish Airlines Cargo | Istanbul-Atatürk, Milan-Malpensa, Zürich |
Passengers | Change from previous year | Aircraft operations | Change from previous year | Cargo (metric tons) |
Change from previous year | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | 3,403,453 | 2.13% | 48,347 | 0.01% | 22,580 | 5.71% |
2006 | 3,483,340 | 2.35% | 48,288 | 0.12% | 20,626 | 8.65% |
2007 | 3,804,731 | 9.23% | 49,724 | 2.97% | 20,926 | 1.45% |
2008 | 4,126,795 | 8.46% | 54,649 | 9.90% | 22,800 | 8.96% |
2009 | 4,474,623 | 8.43% | 61,554 | 12.64% | 21,931 | 3.81% |
2010 | 4,346,654 | 2.86% | 61,066 | 0.79% | 19,233 | 12.30% |
2011 | 4,720,459 | 8.60% | 64,191 | 5.12% | 22,466 | 16.81% |
2012 | 5,404,971 | 14.50% | 66,423 | 3.48% | 25,359 | 12.88% |
2013 | 5,919,685 | 9.52% | 72,676 | 9.41% | 30,310 | 19.52% |
2014 | 6 457 795 | 9.16% | ||||
2015 | 6 900 000 | 9.35% |
The distance to the center of Algiers is 20 km using the route N5 direct Bab Ezzouar. A1 also connects with N5 to the airport. Taxis service the airport to downtown Algiers.
The airport has a 7,000 capacity with two car parks located north of the terminals.
Buses link the airport to downtown Algiers every 30 minutes during the day.
The Algiers Metro Line L1 extension will connect the airport with the centre of Algiers.
Suburban rail does not connect directly with the airport, but the closest station is at Dar El Baida.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
Media related to at Wikimedia Commons