Tunisia to Invest $130 Million in Air Transport

A general view shows Tunis-Carthage International Airport in Tunis, Tunisia, July 30, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
A general view shows Tunis-Carthage International Airport in Tunis, Tunisia, July 30, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
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Tunisia to Invest $130 Million in Air Transport

A general view shows Tunis-Carthage International Airport in Tunis, Tunisia, July 30, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
A general view shows Tunis-Carthage International Airport in Tunis, Tunisia, July 30, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

Tunisian authorities are planning on announcing TND367 million ($131 million) worth of investments to expand three airports in the country.

Carthage International Airport in the capital Tunis is to get the lion’s share of around TND300 million ($100 million) so that it can handle around 8 million passengers a year.

The runways of Djerba - Zarzis International Airport in southeastern Tunisia and Tozeur - Nefta International Airport in the southwest are also set to be improved in 2020.

Flag carrier Tunisair has plans to improve its fleet by signing a final deal to buy five new Airbus A320 airplanes.

It is also expected to lease three planes pending the arrival of the new A320s.

The moves will allow Tunisair to expand the number of its passengers to 5 million.

The fleet of the flag carrier consists of 27 planes. It also has a workforce of around 8,000 employees.

The government has tried to cut the number of staff in an effort to limit economic the company's burdens. But labor unions have rejected efforts to restructure Tunisair.

The transportation sector contributes 7 percent of the country’s GDP and around 11.5 percent of total investments. It also brings revenues of around TND1.5 billion from hard currency.

But it suffers around TND4 billion in losses, which require urgent government plans for reforms and restructuring.



Riyadh Air Willing to Buy Boeing Planes from Cancelled Chinese Orders

Riyadh Air aircraft. (SPA)
Riyadh Air aircraft. (SPA)
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Riyadh Air Willing to Buy Boeing Planes from Cancelled Chinese Orders

Riyadh Air aircraft. (SPA)
Riyadh Air aircraft. (SPA)

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas on Monday said that the Saudi startup carrier would be ready to buy Boeing aircraft destined for Chinese airlines if they are not delivered due to the escalating trade war between the United States and China.

Boeing is looking to resell potentially dozens of planes locked out of China by tariffs after repatriating a third jet to the United States in a delivery standoff that drew new criticism of Beijing from US President Donald Trump.

"What we've done... is made it quite clear to Boeing, should that ever happen, and the keyword there is should, we'll happily take them all," Douglas said in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market conference.

Boeing took the rare step of publicly flagging the potential aircraft sale during an analyst call last week, saying that there would be no shortage of buyers in a tight jet market.