Algeria has fully reopened its national airspace to Mali, effective Friday, state media reported, lifting a ban that had been in place for more than a year.
Both countries closed their skies to each other in April 2025. The fallout started after Algeria said its military shot down a Malian surveillance drone that crossed into Algerian airspace. Mali rejected that version and said the drone crashed inside Malian territory.
With the restriction lifted, all flights to and from Mali can now operate through Algerian airspace again.
In a parallel move, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered Algeria’s ambassador to return to Bamako early Saturday. Algeria had pulled the ambassador home for consultations back in April 2025 when the diplomatic rift began.
