The new passenger terminal at Houari Boumediene Airport is beautiful, but I have never seen an airport so quiet or empty.
Houari Boumediene Airport In Algiers: Ghost Town
In 2019, Algiers opened an impressive new airport terminal, which actually marked only the first phase of a planned new multi-terminal airport. If my visit was any indication, though, I would say the airport has more than enough space as-is.
As I walked from my airport hotel to the airport, I noticed the parking lots were empty (as in not a single car).
It was very quiet outside the terminal.
Most of the check-in counters were deserted.
After clearing passport control (with some drama), I found a terminal that was not only also quiet but eerily empty. It’s not that this was just a quiet time of night at the airport (though it was), but that it appeared this area of the terminal is just not used for anything.
Air Algérie is based in Algiers and hosts its flagship lounge here. From 10:00 pm to midnight, I had the lounge totally to myself for the majority of the time:
(there was another photo incident in the lounge…)
I have to admit, it felt kind of creepy to be the only one in the lounge. At one point the single staff member disappeared at the front desk and I was literally there all alone for a 15-minute period.
CONCLUSION
Algiers Airport has a lot of capacity for growth. It’s a lovely facility, but really quite underutilized at this point. Perhaps if the country transitioned to visas on arrival, it would attract more visitors. Then again, my sense of the country (which I loved) is that it does not want a huge influx of visitors.
Have you ever been to an airport that feels like a ghost town?
Thank you for your article, it was very good.
It looks like a beautiful airport. The architecture reminds me a little of CDG.
because CDG airport “consulting” may have been involved in the design…
I am not sure and have not checked that but if my memory does not fail, it is the case.
Was it a religious holiday, perhaps?
Your empty airport photos are always amazing, Matthew. Love them.
It’s empty because Algeria only allows a very, very small amount of people in the country without a visa. Only: Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Mali, Seychelles, Tunisia and Mauritania. Everyone else must go to the embassy to get a visa, so Algeria gets very few passengers a year.
Algeria may have a different mindset. The border with Morocco has been closed for many years. The border with Libya was closed as of 2021 but I do not know the current situation.
Even before the pandemic, Algeria was only getting about 2.3 to 2.5 million tourists a year. The numbers these days are less than a million.
Then again, maybe that isn’t a bad thing? Maybe they don’t want to become a place flooded by tourists and instagrammers and developers (though I am sure the elite wouldn’t mind some more of that money).
How did you apply for the Algerian visa? Did you have to go to the embassy? what if they do not have a consulate on the west coast.
I flew to New York.
Hi! I currently live in Algiers for my work. I can tell you that the airport is ALWAYS like that. It gives off real post-apocalyptic vibes. Algeria is a country that has a lot of potential but is rife with corruption, so the elites don’t really care what happens to the place as long as that sweet, sweet natural gas money keeps pumping. My colleagues and I joke that it’s really the North Korea of North Africa.
Hi Moroccan, Stop your crude anti-Algerian propaganda to tarnish the image of the country. You are easily spotted thanks to the keywords you use all the time: North Korea, Corruption, ..
Your experience with such an empty space is not so bad compared to some crowded airports and lounges ( that we, frequent flyers have experienced yet…). Your journey inspired me to explore this country one day and that interesting airport design. I have been told that Algerian government has the goal to boost that airport in coming years by opening several routes, and this terminal would become Air Algeries hub. I have recently read in airlines news that they will buy 15 new aircrafts+7 leased ones, mostly widebodies. Thank you so much for your useful trip report about Algeria.
usually they airport is crowded in the morning, arriving after midnight is the key why it was empty