Algeria Suspends Air Links With the UAE, Signaling a Major Diplomatic Escalation

Algeria has officially initiated procedures to terminate its air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates, a move that will end all direct flights between the two countries by February 2027, marking a serious escalation in bilateral tensions.

Algerian authorities have formally announced the denunciation of the air services agreement signed with the United Arab Emirates on May 13, 2013, in Abu Dhabi and ratified in Algeria in December 2014. The decision was communicated through the official news agency APS on February 7, 2026.

This agreement allowed direct air routes between the two countries, including the heavily used Algiers–Dubai route. Currently, Emirates operates up to two direct flights per day between Algiers and Dubai, representing around 14 flights per week. More than 40,000 Algerians are estimated to be living in the UAE, most of them in Dubai.

Under international aviation law, air links between countries can only exist through formal air services agreements. These conventions regulate flight authorizations, overflight rights, stopovers, passenger transport, cargo operations, and emergency landings.

According to APS, Algeria invoked Article 22 of the agreement, which allows either party to denounce the convention by notifying the other through diplomatic channels and informing the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Once notified, the agreement expires 12 months after receipt.

As a result, unless the decision is withdrawn by mutual consent, all air traffic between Algeria and the UAE will cease on February 7, 2027. Emirati airlines will no longer be permitted to overfly Algerian airspace, land at Algerian airports, or conduct technical stopovers. The same restrictions would apply reciprocally to Algerian carriers.

The Algerian authorities did not provide any official justification for the decision. The UAE has not yet commented publicly or indicated whether it will contest the move through arbitration, a mechanism provided for under the agreement.

Legal and Economic Consequences

The termination of the agreement also ends several fiscal and operational privileges previously granted to airlines from both countries. These include exemptions from certain customs duties, taxes, and import restrictions on aircraft equipment and supplies.

If the Emirati authorities do not contest the decision within 14 days of notification, the denunciation may be considered accepted. However, Algeria retains the option to withdraw the notice within the 12-month period, subject to Emirati consent.

Beyond aviation, the move carries broader economic and social implications. Algerians residing in the UAE will be forced to transit through third countries to travel home.