The Minister of Transport, Rachid Amri, announced that the national airline Tunisair plans to put 14 planes into service by the end of May 2025. This initiative is part of a restructuring plan aimed at strengthening the company’s operational fleet, without resorting to privatization.
During a plenary session in the Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP), Amri said today that the Tunisair fleet had 18 planes in 2024, against 28 in 2010. At certain periods, the company only exploited 6 or 7 aircraft, the others being immobilized due to maintenance and financial constraints related to debt.
The Minister said that the recovery plan provides for the operation of 11 aircraft, to which are added 3 apparatuses currently for rent. By May 15, 12 planes should be operational, with the aim of reaching 14 aircraft in service by the end of the month.
The remaining 4 planes of the fleet should be put back into service by the end of the year, although the cost of diagnosing an airplane engine, estimated between 40,000 and 50,000 dinars, represents an additional financial challenge.
Amri stressed that the Tunisair restructuring plan is based on the repair and restarting of the aircraft currently immobilized, in order to strengthen the fleet without resorting to privatization.
This position is confirmed by the President of the Republic, Kais Saied, who reaffirmed that the national company will be neither assigned nor dismantled. During a meeting with the Minister of Transport yesterday, the president insisted on the strategic nature of Tunisair and rejected the proposals for partial privatization or public-private partnership.
Tunisair faces a deep structural crisis, marked by cumulative debt of more than 1.3 billion dinars, an aging fleet with an average age greater than 15 years, social tensions and a governance deficit.
Despite these challenges, the government undertakes to save the company without selling it, by implementing a deep restructuring and by strengthening managerial management.
