Houari Boumediene Airport

Houari Boumediene Airport is the principal airport for Algiers and by a wide margin the busiest airport in Algeria, one of the two largest North African countries by area. Located 12 mi (19 km) southeast of central Algiers on the Mediterranean coast, ALG handles 131 routes to 83 destinations flown by 26 airlines and serves as the primary international gateway to a country of over 45 million people. The airport is named after Algeria's second president, Houari Boumédiène. Algeria's size and the scarcity of rail and road alternatives across Saharan distances give its aviation system a particularly central role; ALG functions as the de facto national distribution point for passengers, freight, and business traffic. Air Algérie — the national flag carrier — operates its principal hub at ALG, using it as the base for its domestic, intra-Maghreb, sub-Saharan African, European, and limited transatlantic networks. Other operators include Tassili Airlines (the national oil-industry-focused carrier), Air France, Transavia France, Vueling, Iberia, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, ASL Airlines France, Tunisair, Royal Air Maroc, Saudia, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Gulf Air, Etihad Airways, Egypt Air, Aigle Azur (historical), and a small number of pan-African operators. The route map is heavily weighted toward France (Paris CDG, Orly, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Nice) — reflecting the enormous Algerian diaspora — with secondary volume to Spain, Italy, Germany, the Gulf, and Istanbul. The airfield sits at 82 ft (25 m) elevation with two asphalt runways — 05/23 and 09/27, both at 11,483 ft (3,500 m). The terminal complex consists of the modern Terminal 1 (international, opened 2006), Terminal 2 (Air Algérie domestic and regional), and Terminal 3 (charter and supplementary). The 2006 Terminal 1 project substantially lifted capacity and service standards, and further expansion has added new satellite piers and remote-stand capacity. ALG is also a significant cargo gateway supporting Algeria's hydrocarbon-dominated export economy through freighter and belly-hold movements.