The extension of the Algiers metro to Houari Boumediene Airport aims to make the capital a regional air hub, by focusing on intermodality and ambitious investments.

The Algiers metro, in operation for over ten years, has become a key transportation hub in the capital. It is now at the heart of a new strategy: directly connecting the city center to Houari Boumediene International Airport.

This extension project, the progress of which was presented by the Minister of Public Works, Lakhdar Rekhroukh, aims to strengthen service to the airport platform by 2027.

The 9,5-kilometer-long new section will integrate into the existing network to provide a reliable, direct, and fast connection to the airport. Currently, travel to the airport relies primarily on private taxis and ETUSA buses, but these options suffer, according to local press reports, from frequent delays, limited comfort, and longer travel times than a metro line would allow.

Alongside this project, the Algerian government is investing to double the airport's capacity, increasing it from 10 to 20 million passengers per year. These investments include the digitalization of services, the modernization of telescopic jetways, and the acquisition of new scanners.

Air Algérie is expected to play a central role in this plan, with the support of the State to integrate 16 new aircraft into its fleet, and thus open new routes to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

This strategic positioning of Algeria as a regional hub will, however, have to face competition from Egypt and Morocco, two countries also engaged in vast airport investment programs and the development of intermodality, notably with metro networks connected to their main airports.