Algeria has closed its airspace to all civil and military aircraft registered in the United Arab Emirates after breaking diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi. The restriction takes effect from midnight on 11 September and includes a temporary exemption for commercial flights between the UAE and Algiers’s Houari Boumediene Airport until the end of 2026.
The measure follows Algeria’s decision to sever ties over what it described as hostile or provocative acts by the UAE. It applies to both passenger and government-linked traffic, covering a broad range of operations that would normally transit Algerian airspace.
The exemption for services to Algiers preserves a limited commercial link for now, but only for the route between the two countries and only until the end of the year. The restriction is expected to affect scheduling and routing for carriers operating UAE-registered aircraft across North Africa and the wider Mediterranean corridor.