The airline, Tassili Airlines (TAL), will operate some 30 flights from April 11 to 24 underway for the transport of SONATRACH personnel from and to the south, said on Saturday the Director of Communication of Tassili Airlines (TAL ), Karim Bahard.

“At the request of SONATRACH and after obtaining an exceptional flight authorization from the authorized bodies, we have started today a repatriation operation for  SONATRACH staff from and to the south”, underlined the manager to the APS, specifying that this operation, for which the entire fleet (15 aircraft) of TAL has been mobilized, will be spread from 11 to 24 April in progress.

These flights are scheduled on departure and arrival from several airports at the national level, notably from Algiers, Oran, Annaba, Constantine, Hassi-Messaoud, Adrar, In Amenas, Hassi-R'mel and Rhoude-Nouss, according to Mr. Bahard.

As a subsidiary of the SONATRACH oil and gas group, TAL recalled that it had suspended its regular domestic flights since March 22, while international flights had been canceled since March 19 due to the suspension of air traffic as a preventive measure against the spread. Corona virus (COVID-19).

Immobilized at Algiers Airport, the TAL fleet resumes service with “strict measures” of prevention against COVID-19, in particular the reduction of the number of passengers to half the capacity of aircraft during flights flown, said Bahard.

“In addition to the distribution of means and tools for protection against COVID-19 (hydro-alcoholic gel, bibs, gloves) on passengers, aircraft crews and personnel supervising this operation, we have also reduced to a minimum the number of passengers on board each flight as a measure of distancing against the spread of the virus ”, assured the same source.

As part of this operation, a Bombardier Q 200 with a capacity of 37 seats only carries 10 passengers, the Bombardier Q 400 with a capacity of 74 seats only carries 20 passengers, while a Boeing 737- 800 with a capacity of 155 seats will see only 50 passengers on board, said the official.

SONATRACH resumes its succession program on oil and gas sites

Contacted by APS, SONATRACH's Communication Director, Mounir SAKHRI, indicated that the mobilization of the TAL fleet followed the resumption of the SONATRACH staff replacement program at oil and gas sites and fields, stressing that “this flight program has a special authorization and is supervised by the company's health and medical staff to ensure compliance with measures against the Corona virus”.

Specifying that a large part of the personnel mobilized in the South has exceeded two months of presence on the oil and gas sites, ensuring continuity of service, Mr. SAKHRI underlined that “the operation of its replacement is started from today by other colleagues who were on leave and who will take over ”.

Once in the South, relief personnel and as a preventive measure, will be put in confinement for 14 days before being operational on oil and gas sites, assured the manager, explaining that a "medical questionnaire" is given each employee to report any symptoms or medical history.

This component is overseen by the SONATRACH medical teams and it is up to the doctor to "monitor and remove the confinement on each agent before returning to work", he said, noting that the employees returned to the north " already healthy ”will not be affected by this procedure and will go directly to their home.

M.SAKHRI further underlined that the SONATRACH personnel transport operation does not only concern TAL flights, but also by road, because buses have also been mobilized for the transport of personnel from neighboring wilayas in the south, specifying that “the preventive measures remain the same for everyone” (APS).