Tunisian president Kais Saied has told the head of flag-carrier Tunisair that urgent measures are required to address the poor state of the airline.
Saied held a meeting on 24 March with chief executive Halima Ibrahim Khouaja – who was appointed to the post in early November last year – and the country’s transport minister, Rachid Amri.
The president stated that the Tunisair fleet has declined from 24 to just 10 aircraft, and that their interior condition is not acceptable.
Saied also said that technical inspection of the aircraft exceeds 123 days in Tunisia – compared with 10 days in other companies – causing “huge financial losses” of “tens of billions of dinars”, according to the presidential office.
This sum, he points out, could have been used to acquire new aircraft.
Tunisair’s departure and arrival slots are not “respectable”, he says, and the airline’s service needs improvement.
Saied also accused the airline of having previously engaged in recruitment based on “loyalties and favouritism”.
He stressed the “need to stop this bleeding quickly” and has ordered development of a rescue plan to “restore Tunisair…to its former glory”, the office adds.
Saied insists that neither the airline nor its base airport, Tunis Carthage, will be neglected, adding that it offers “advantages not found in many other airports” and can be expanded.
