Airports in Algeria are under threat of closure

Fourteen airports in Algeria are under threat of closure due to losses incurred from the global economic crisis. According to Passenger Terminal today, many airports in the North African country are on the verge of bankruptcy in the wake of the economic downturn, which has hit air transportation around the world. There are also accusations of mismanagement and squandering of resources within the Algerian Airport Services Organisation, a major airport operator.
The Algerian Transportation Interior Ministry said revenues from the airports under threat of closure are not enough to cover the salaries of the employees. The AASO, which operates 17 airports in the country, has been suffering financial problems since 2007.
Although three airports run by this organisation are doing relatively well; 14 face closure. The affected airports will not include the main international airport in the capital Algiers. The airports on the verge of closure are dispersed throughout the country, some of them as far as 2,000km from Algiers.
Algeria is a huge country, spanning an area of more than 2.3 million square kilometres, more than 3.5 times the size of Texas. Closing down airports in the far reaches of the country is likely to affect the whole economic market, including impeding the transportation of cargo, affecting trade and hindering people who commute for work.

Source: Transportweekly