Algeria will close its airspace to all UAE-registered civilian and military aircraft from midnight on 11 September, while exempting commercial passenger flights between the UAE and Algiers until the end of 2026. The measure follows Algiers’ decision to sever diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and is expected to affect operators including Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia on routes to, from and over Algeria.
The defence ministry’s move covers all flights entering or leaving Algerian airspace, as well as overflights, and is likely to force rerouting on some services linking the Gulf to Europe and North Africa. Algeria has also moved to cancel an air services agreement signed in 2013, extending the dispute beyond immediate airspace access and into bilateral traffic rights.
The exemption for direct commercial services to Houari Boumediene International Airport in Algiers will remain in place until the current contract expires at the end of 2026. That arrangement limits the near-term operational impact for passenger flights to the capital, but broader network planning may still be disrupted if carriers need to adjust schedules or flight paths around Algeria.