Minister of Transport, Rachid Amri, paid an unannounced visit on Wednesday to the headquarters of the Office of Civil Aviation and Airports (OACA), where he chaired a working session to assess the implementation of the recommendations of the meeting held on 2 October with the heads of this institution.
During his visit, Amri called for efforts to be stepped up to improve the services provided by Tunisian airports and for their management to be guaranteed so that they are on a par with the country’s sovereign border facilities.
In the same context, he called for respect for the rules of cleanliness, the wearing of correct uniforms and a good relationship with travelers, recommending that discipline and respect for professional rules be imposed through staff training.
Minister wants low prices in Tunis-Carthage restaurants and cafés
On another front, he also called for coordination with the various parties to review the prices charged in airport restaurants and cafés, particularly at Tunis-Carthage airport, since the main customers of these public services are essentially citizens or foreigners. He also recommended regulating the services provided by individual taxis at airports by introducing information systems currently being developed for this purpose.
Tunis-Carthage Airport: The need to decongest Terminal 1
According to the Minister of Transport, the ministry is currently studying the possibility of linking Tunis-Carthage airport with the center of the capital by means of frequent and regular flights operated by a special fleet from the Office of Civil Aviation and Airports.
He also called for flights to be spread throughout the day, especially at night, in order to reduce congestion in Terminal 1 of Tunis Carthage Airport, increase air traffic and make more efficient use of infrastructure to improve the quality of services offered to travelers.
OACA handles 9.4 million passengers
Passenger traffic at Tunisian airports increased by 9.4% in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching 9,646,949 passengers, a figure not seen since the creation of the Office of Civil Aviation and Airports (OACA).
According to statistics published by the OACA, this upward trend affected the majority of Tunisian airports, with a record being set at Tunis-Carthage International Airport, which welcomed 7,249,701 passengers in 2024, an increase of 8.8% over the previous year.
Tunisia reaches a record of more than 12 million passengers in 2024
Djerba-Zarzis International Airport recorded an increase of 12.8% (2,203,957 passengers), while Tozeur-Nafta Airport recorded a spectacular increase of 76.5% (32,108 passengers). On the other hand, Tabarka-Ain Draham International Airport recorded a slight increase of 1.6% (2,679 passengers), while Sfax-Thyna Airport recorded a decrease of 10.1% with 1,573,550 passengers.
OACA statistics also show a 4.9% increase in overflight movements in 2024 compared to 2023, with a total of 79,155 movements.
The increase was 4.7% on Tunis-Carthage (58,690 movements), 8.6% on Djerba-Zarzis (16,339 movements) and 36.3% on Tozeur-Nafta (462 movements). At Tabarka-Ain Draham, movements increased by 6.4% (183 movements) while at Sfax they decreased by 6.2% (3,473 movements).
Finally, the number of overflights (aircraft crossing Tunisian airspace) reached 61,617 in 2024, an increase of 14.7% compared with 2023.
At the airports operated by OACA and TAV Tunisia, the number of passengers rose by 12.9% compared with 2023, reaching 12,538,053 passengers for all Tunisian airports for the first time.