ALGIERS, Algeria (Anadolu) — Abbas Mimouni

Algeria announced Friday it was reopening its airspace to Malian aviation, after more than a year of closure due to "repeated violations" of its airspace by Malian drones, according to a statement from the Algerian Ministry of Defense.

The Ministry of Defense said: "Algeria decided, as of today, Friday, July 10, 2026, to fully reopen its national airspace to Malian air traffic."

It clarified that the decision includes "all flights to and from Mali via various international destinations."

The Algerian Ministry of Defense did not explain the reasons behind the decision, but it represents an indication of a beginning of a thaw in the diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

As of 17:45 GMT, there was no official comment from Mali regarding the Algerian decision.

It is worth noting that Algeria closed its airspace to Malian aviation on April 7, 2025, due to what it described as "repeated violations" of its airspace by Malian drones.

The Algerian Ministry of Defense had said at the time: "Due to the repeated violations by the State of Mali of our airspace, the Algerian government decided to close said airspace to air traffic to and from Mali, effective today, April 7, 2025."

This followed an announcement on April 1, 2025, by the Algerian Ministry of Defense that it had shot down an armed drone that it said breached its airspace near the border with Mali.

It later turned out that the drone belonged to Mali, and the Malian military command condemned its downing, accusing Algeria of targeting it inside Malian territory.

The incident led to rising tensions between the two countries, culminating in a downgrading of diplomatic representation, a situation that continues to this day.