PM Urges Air Algerie Chartering Planes To Bring Home Passengers Stuck Abroad

The government is due to charter as much aircrafts as possible to carry Algerian passengers trapped in European airports, including in France, to overcome the strike being underway by aircrew of Air Algerie flagship carrier, Prime Minister, Ahmed Ouyahia said on Thursday.

At the sidelines of wrapping up of the Spring session of the Council of the Nation (upper house of the Parliament), Mr Ouyahia told reporters that the government has given the green light to Air Algerie to charter the required number of aircrafts, and cooperate with foreign flagship carriers to assure additional flights to and from Algeria. 

The PM further stressed that the government is open to talks with the employees on strike, should the dialogue be in the frame of the law, rejecting however to take the state and the passengers as hostages. 

To recall, aircrew employees at Air Algerie have been on strike since last Monday, claiming 120 percent wage hikes. The strike has been disrupting air traffic in Algeria and in several airports in Europe.