Air Algerie Boosts Links to Montreal

Air Algerie is to launch a third weekly rotation on its Algiers - Montreal route this winter, offering a Saturday departure alongside its established Tuesday and Friday services. The new frequency will be introduced in the first week of November and is the airline’s sole link into North America.

In the past year an estimated 67,000 O&D passengers travelled between Algiers and Montreal, a market that has declined by around 17.6 per cent in the past 12 months. The airline’s yield has also significantly weakened as average one-way fares have slipped from $390 to $362 and its overall share of the market has declined from 76 to 65 per cent.

Although Air Algerie is the only airline offering a non-stop service it faces competition from Air France, via Paris CDG and Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca. The French national carrier has seen its share of the traffic rise 40.8 per cent in the past year and notably it has a much stronger yield than its North African rivals with average one-way fares of $605. However, these are also down significantly on the performance 12 months earlier.

Elsewhere, Air Algerie will modify its capacity in other markets this winter increasing and decreasing flights on many routes when compared with the 2010/2011 winter schedule.

According to the North African carrier’s latest GDS inventory, the Algiers – Amman route will see a second weekly frequency; Casablanca will be served four times weekly, up from three rotations last year; Istanbul will receive a sixth weekly flight and Lyon will retain its summer schedule of daily flights, rather than the six last winter.

However, the Mali capital Bamako will have just two flights per week, down from three last year, Rome will have five flights per week rather than four, while London Heathrow will see a significant capacity decline as a Boeing 737-800 is used on Air Algerie’s four times weekly link rather than the Airbus A330-200 used in last winter.