ALGERIA has officially reopened its national airspace to all flights originating from and destined for MALI, effective 10 July 2026, marking a significant step toward restoring diplomatic and aviation relations between the two neighboring Sahel nations after more than a year of tensions. The airspace had been closed reciprocally in April 2025 following a diplomatic dispute triggered by ALGERIA's claim that it had shot down a Malian military surveillance drone for violating its airspace, an allegation MALI rejected, insisting the drone had crashed within its own territory. As part of the broader normalization process, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune also ordered the return of ALGERIA's ambassador to Bamako, reversing the diplomatic recall made during the crisis. The reopening restores a critical air navigation corridor across North Africa and the Sahel, enabling the resumption of commercial, humanitarian, cargo, and charter flights between the two countries while eliminating costly detours that had disrupted the operations of carriers such as Air Algérie and Malian airlines. The restored access is expected to improve regional connectivity, reduce flight times by up to two…
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