Why does BA fly to ALG but not TUN or CMN?
Mar 5, 2023, 8:50 am
#1
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Why does BA fly to ALG but not TUN or CMN?
Wondering why BA flies to ALG (Algiers) but not to TUN (Tunis) or CMN (Casablanca).
Clearly the simple reason is” it’s profitable”, but why?
Algeria isn’t much of a holiday destination, and I don’t think there’s a big Algerian diaspora in the UK compared to Moroccan or Tunisian (correct me if I’m wrong).
Is the traffic mostly connecting, and if so, from where? Wonder how much of the route is O&D vs connecting and where one might find out.
Is it Algeria’s oil industry that keeps the route going? Cargo?
Not flying to CMN is particularly strange, since Royal Air Maroc is now a member of OneWorld and one might have assumed that CMN would be a good connection point for traffic from London to other places in Africa.
Clearly the simple reason is” it’s profitable”, but why?
Algeria isn’t much of a holiday destination, and I don’t think there’s a big Algerian diaspora in the UK compared to Moroccan or Tunisian (correct me if I’m wrong).
Is the traffic mostly connecting, and if so, from where? Wonder how much of the route is O&D vs connecting and where one might find out.
Is it Algeria’s oil industry that keeps the route going? Cargo?
Not flying to CMN is particularly strange, since Royal Air Maroc is now a member of OneWorld and one might have assumed that CMN would be a good connection point for traffic from London to other places in Africa.
Mar 5, 2023, 9:04 am
#2
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I think that you will find that it is oil. CMN and AGA, they took as part of poor dear BMI's dowry. They did not last very long. I rather think that Marrakesh apart - the glamour of which has always eluded me - that this is rather francophone country. RAK was always considered somewhat 'hip' - I do not know if that has persisted. We used to fly to Tripoli (BCAL) and those flights were practically standing room only. It was all the oil workers and after a month in that dry country we had to ration the drinks on the way home. BA used to fly to TUN as memory serves, but I am unsure whether tourism has really picked up there even now.
Mar 5, 2023, 9:10 am
#3
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Indeed, and I guess the turbulent history of Algerian-French relations (despite the Francophone commonality) gives the UK an entry point into Algeria which it might not otherwise have. Would be fascinated to read about the history of this. Apparently from some Googling the UK actually runs a trade deficit with Algeria!
Mar 5, 2023, 11:43 am
#4
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Oil, oil and oil. And the corporate deals linked to oil. There was a LGW to Hassi Messaoud too for a couple of seasons.
RAK is sustainable as there is a big inbound tourism flow year round. Great jumping off point for many other parts of Morocco too.
CMN has multiple AT flights daily from London as well as connections via MAD: I think IB also serve AGA though the charms of Agadir itself are pretty dubious.
RAK is sustainable as there is a big inbound tourism flow year round. Great jumping off point for many other parts of Morocco too.
CMN has multiple AT flights daily from London as well as connections via MAD: I think IB also serve AGA though the charms of Agadir itself are pretty dubious.
Mar 5, 2023, 4:24 pm
#6
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The US Ambassador to Algeria has tweeted quite regularly about how she hopes they’ll establish a direct flight to ALG from the USA. For example:
… but I wouldn’t be surprised if BA gets quite a lot of US connecting traffic to LHR-ALG and that makes a direct flight from the USA quite unlikely.
… but I wouldn’t be surprised if BA gets quite a lot of US connecting traffic to LHR-ALG and that makes a direct flight from the USA quite unlikely.
Mar 5, 2023, 9:14 pm
#7
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I used to fly into Tunis regularly on business with a BA franchise (can't remember what it was called) out of LGW. I was working in Sfax at BG's facility. The flight used to have 3 or 4 rows of Club, which usually had 5 or 6 people in. The rest of the flight used to be full of silver hair off for some cheap winter sun.
Often time the oil companies will subsidise specific routes or at least give a guarantee of traffic.
Often time the oil companies will subsidise specific routes or at least give a guarantee of traffic.
Mar 6, 2023, 12:15 am
#8
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Mar 6, 2023, 4:05 am
#9
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I might need to do a TUN trip this year or next, and as far as I can tell it's a OW black hole, unless I decide to go on AT via CMN, which would probably be a bit silly. Maybe IB....? There is a direct flight on Tunis Air, which has got to be the most sensible option.
Mar 6, 2023, 4:11 am
#10
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Indeed, and I guess the turbulent history of Algerian-French relations (despite the Francophone commonality) gives the UK an entry point into Algeria which it might not otherwise have. Would be fascinated to read about the history of this. Apparently from some Googling the UK actually runs a trade deficit with Algeria!
Mar 6, 2023, 8:04 am
#11
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Was there ever a time when BA offered flights to all North African countries — Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt? I remember the excitement about those ex-TIP fares from my early days on Flyertalk but I never got to visit Libya and fly one of them.
Mar 6, 2023, 8:32 am
#12
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Presumably as an alternative to previous investment in Libya (former Italian colony)?
Was there ever a time when BA offered flights to all North African countries — Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt? I remember the excitement about those ex-TIP fares from my early days on Flyertalk but I never got to visit Libya and fly one of them.
Was there ever a time when BA offered flights to all North African countries — Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt? I remember the excitement about those ex-TIP fares from my early days on Flyertalk but I never got to visit Libya and fly one of them.
Mar 6, 2023, 1:10 pm
#13
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Mar 6, 2023, 2:28 pm
#14
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I used to fly into Tunis regularly on business with a BA franchise (can't remember what it was called) out of LGW. I was working in Sfax at BG's facility. The flight used to have 3 or 4 rows of Club, which usually had 5 or 6 people in. The rest of the flight used to be full of silver hair off for some cheap winter sun.
Often time the oil companies will subsidise specific routes or at least give a guarantee of traffic.
Often time the oil companies will subsidise specific routes or at least give a guarantee of traffic.