{"id":51757,"date":"2026-07-15T12:05:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/51757\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T12:05:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:05:10","slug":"air-algerie-takes-delivery-of-first-boeing-737-max-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/51757\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Alg\u00e9rie takes delivery of first Boeing 737 Max 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

Air Alg\u00e9rie<\/a> has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max<\/a> 8, as the North African carrier starts a programme of narrowbody fleet renewal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Air Alg\u00e9rie welcomes first Boeing 737 MAX<\/p>\n

The aircraft, handed over on 11 July at Algiers Airport, is the first of 10 737 Max 8s scheduled to join the Algerian flag carrier over the next two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Registered 7T-VLQ and named El Houria (\u201cFreedom\u201d), the aircraft is one of five 737 Max 8s due before the end of 2026, with the remaining five aircraft due to arrive during 2027.<\/p>\n

The latest addition is configured with 186 seats in a single-class layout and will gradually replace ageing Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft that have formed the backbone of the airline\u2019s short- and medium-haul operations for many years.<\/p>\n

Flag carrier adds to 737 inventory<\/p>\n

Despite the arrival of the Max, Air Alg\u00e9rie continues to operate a sizeable Boeing 737 fleet comprising one 737-600, two 737-700s and 24 737-800s.<\/p>\n

The airline\u2019s 737 fleet has an average age of 17.1 years, according to PlaneSpotters.net.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The airline\u2019s investment in the Max family extends beyond the -8 variant. During the 2023 Paris Air Show, Air Alg\u00e9rie placed an order for eight larger 737 Max 9 aircraft, with deliveries scheduled to begin from 2027.<\/p>\n

The Algerian flag carrier also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for two 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis order will contribute to the development of the Air Alg\u00e9rie fleet,\u201d said Yacine Benslimane, general manager of Air Alg\u00e9rie, at the time of the order. \u201cThis acquisition is part of Air Alg\u00e9rie\u2019s fleet extension strategy through the purchase of new aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 737-9 is ideally suited for Air Alg\u00e9rie\u2019s regional network, providing it with additional capacity and flexibility to operate seamlessly with its existing 737 fleet,\u201d said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. \u201cIn addition, the highly reliable and capable 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters will enable Air Algerie to capture growing cargo opportunities, expanding beyond its passenger business.\u201d<\/p>\n

The newly delivered aircraft were originally intended for Brazilian low-cost carrier GOL, but the aircraft became available after Boeing renegotiated delivery positions as part of GOL\u2019s financial restructuring and emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.<\/p>\n

Air Alg\u00e9rie acquires new ATR 72-600s<\/p>\n

The new narrowbodies form just one element of Air Alg\u00e9rie\u2019s fleet renewal.<\/p>\n

The airline has also begun replacing regional turboprops, recently taking delivery of another ATR 72-600 as part of an order for 16 aircraft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AirPhoto: ATR<\/p>\n

The acquisition also includes an ATR 72-600 full-flight simulator \u2013 the first of its kind in Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Air Alg\u00e9rie is ATR\u2019s largest customer in Africa, and has been operating ATR aircraft since 2003, with previous acquisitions in 2008 and 2014.<\/p>\n

It currently operates 12 ATR 72-500s and 3 ATR 72-600s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 72-seat ATR 72-600s will be operated by a newly created regional subsidiary of Air Alg\u00e9rie \u2013 Domestic Airlines. Photo: ATR<\/p>\n

Deliveries of the new aircraft have now begun and will continue until 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Equipped with the latest generation PW127XT engines, the 72-seat ATR 72-600s will be operated by a newly created regional subsidiary of Air Alg\u00e9rie \u2013 Domestic Airlines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It will focus on enhancing connectivity nationwide, especially in the southern regions of the country \u2013 areas where air travel is deemed essential.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Upgrading the long-haul fleet with the Airbus A330-900<\/p>\n

At the same time, Air Alg\u00e9rie has been renewing its long-haul fleet with Airbus A330-900neos<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In November, the airline took delivery of its first Airbus A330-900, which will play a key role in Air Alg\u00e9rie\u2019s expansion plans from Algiers, enabling the launch of new transatlantic and Asian routes.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe A330-900 will play a role in Air Alg\u00e9rie\u2019s expansion at Algiers. Photo: Airbus<\/p>\n

Air Alg\u00e9rie currently has five A330neos in service<\/a>, and will become the largest operator of the aircraft type in Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Air Alg\u00e9rie\u2019s A330neo is configured in a comfortable three-class cabin layout with 18 full-flat seats in Business, 24 in Premium Economy and 266 in Economy class.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Air Alg\u00e9rie has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max 8, as the North African carrier starts…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51758,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13021],"tags":[33765,4616,28841,33766,29788,326,15822,33767,33768],"class_list":["post-51757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-airbus","tag-air-algerie","tag-airbus","tag-airbus-news","tag-airlines-news-and-analysis","tag-atr","tag-aviation","tag-boeing","tag-boeing-737-max-8","tag-boeing-news-and-analysis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}