Air Algérie hasn't exactly received the warmest welcome back to Paris/Charles de Gaulle since it resumed flights from the airport in April, with British Airways leading a 34-airline protest against security arrangements at the French airport.
The UK carrier is concerned about sharing a baggage conveyor with Air Algérie, whose check-in desk is located next to BA's at the airport. The carrier is a high profile target for Muslim fundamentalists, which have targeted France in the past as part of their bloody campaign against the Algerian government.
BA's concerns led the carrier to seek permission to shift its 60 daily flights from CDG to Orly airport but this was refused by the French authorities in April. At presstime, BA was awaiting the result of a court case 'seeking the application of the correct security procedures or the removal of Air Algérie from the proximity of the plaintiffs', explains BA's director Europe George Cooper. BA accuses the French authorities of applying far stricter security measures at other French airports, compared to CDG. The airport's operator, Aéroports de Paris, insists, however, that it has implemented adequate security measures.
The dispute is being exacerbated by accusations from both sides of hidden agendas. The authorities suggest BA's motives for a move to Orly are driven more by a desire to bolster its presence at Paris' second largest airport. Sources at the UK carrier counter that there is 'some sort of orchestrated campaign here' against BA by the French authorities, which are upset by the UK carrier's strong domestic presence.
Source: Airline Business
