Algeria Closes Airspace and Cuts Diplomatic Ties with the UAE

Algeria has closed its airspace to Emirati-registered civilian and military aircraft after cutting diplomatic ties with the Gulf country on Thursday following years of tension.

In a statement announcing the severing of diplomatic relations, Algiers accused the Gulf nation of "provocative and hostile acts", though the precise catalyst for the sudden rupture remained unclear.

The Algerian defence ministry announced that an airspace ban targeting Emirati aircraft would take effect on Friday, with an exception for commercial flights to and from Algiers airport, which will be permitted to operate until the end of 2026.

On Thursday, Algiers gave the UAE ambassador 48 hours "to comply with the decision" and leave the country.

The Algerian foreign ministry stated the move came "after exhausting all avenues to preserve bilateral relations" with the UAE, noting it had issued repeated warnings to Abu Dhabi.

"Algeria spared no effort to draw the Emirati side's attention to, and to warn it against, the dire consequences that could result from its regrettable and unjustified conduct," the ministry said, adding that the UAE "persisted in its actions, reaching a point where they could no longer be considered acceptable or tolerable".

Emirati authorities expressed regret over the move, with the foreign ministry stating that it hoped the decision would prove temporary to maintain "fraternal ties" with Algeria.

"Wherever they set foot, blood flows"

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has frequently referred to the UAE as a "micro-state" seeking to destabilise regional nations, explicitly pointing to conflicts in Libya, Mali, and Sudan.

In a televised interview in July, Tebboune launched a scathing critique of Abu Dhabi, asserting that "wherever they set foot, blood flows".

"We want them to stay away, so that blood does not flow in our country," Tebboune added, noting at the time that a diplomatic break "would have happened long ago" had Algiers not sought to avoid "deepening divisions" within the Arab world.

Tensions between the two countries have been fuelled by several developments in recent years, specifically as Algeria viewed the UAE's interference in North African and Sahelian affairs as contrary to its foreign policy principles and an indirect threat to Algerian security.

Further divisions between Algiers and Abu Dhabi also stemmed from diverging diplomatic policies, including the UAE's normalisation of ties with Israel in 2020.