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It was without incident that, on December 17, 2022, the direct Air Algérie Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle/Djanet flight, the first in twelve years, transported the first tourists, delighted to be able to reach, in less than four hours, this destination. A first flight which allows to reopen the pearl of the Great South of Algeria.
On December 17, at 11 p.m. at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, in trekking shoes and a backpack, Julie Mater was ready to swallow the sands of the desert: “ We are going to board for Djanet in an inaugural flight that we found through Point Afrique, which very recently offers the destination of Djanet, which came out of the red zone at the beginning of December, she confides to us. We leave for a fortnight with a camel team, we go on a trek. We were already in Mauritania with Point Afrique. Everything went very well, so we repeat the experience. We have no apprehension. »
Night flight, due south, all is well on board. Suddenly the steward speaks: Ladies and gentlemen, our landing at Djanet aerodrome is imminent. For your safety and comfort, please keep your seat belts fastened, straighten your seat back and raise your tables, thank you. »
Less than four hours after takeoff, welcome to Djanet. Upon arrival, the CEO of the Algerian National Tourist Office, Tahar Aresky, did not hide his relief: ” For us, this is a very important event, he explains. It’s the first time in almost twelve years that we haven’t had a direct flight from Paris to Djanet, or Tamanrasset. This is a lot for considerations that we ignore especially when it comes to direct flight. And the population lives mainly from tourism here. »
« Tourists have nothing to fear »
Restoring trust is the challenge facing tourism professionals. The director of the Tadrart Voyages agency, Abdelkader Hamid, recently renovated his 280-bed hotel, of which Djanet is proud: ” The past few years have been very hard with the Covid-19, and everything that is happening in the world… ».
Nothing to be apprehensive about for tourists: ” No, tourists have nothing to fear, Assur Abdelkader Hamid. Security is total, we assure our customers that they can come. And above all, that they make the most of the Paris-Djanet flight. »
To make the most of it, Julie and her husband are well decided, who will – who knows – wake up in the canyon of Essendilène, breathtaking jewel of the national park of Tassili n’Ajjer.
► Read also : Algeria: first flight between Paris and Djanet after a twelve-year suspension