馃嚬馃嚦TunisiaNorth Africa
Tunisair: 14 aircraft currently operational, 18 planned by end of 2026, says Transport Minister
via Business News2 min read
During a parliamentary session on Monday, April 20, 2026, the Minister of Transport, Rachid Amri, addressed the situation of national carrier Tunisair. He announced a new approach to passenger communication, stating that travelers who provide their contact details during central reservations are now informed in real-time about delays or cancellations. He acknowledged that a lack of effective communication had previously caused "chaos at Tunisair" but affirmed that a solution had been found, without detailing its mechanisms. The Minister also stated that the current fleet comprises 14 operational aircraft, projected to increase to 16 by June and 18 by the end of 2026. He recognized past technical failures, particularly with aircraft engines, and claimed solutions have been implemented, though specifics were not disclosed. Amri also announced the upcoming resumption of flights to Libya, stating that technical and logistical obstacles have been resolved. He concluded by emphasizing the government's focus on improving punctuality to restore Tunisair's credibility and reposition the company in a competitive aviation market.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Business News.
During a series of site visits, President Ka茂s Sa茂ed addressed various administrative dysfunctions, particularly concerning water and electricity services. Visiting the Ghdir El Golla hydraulic complex and the Oued Medjerda flood protection project, the President acknowledged the efforts of technical teams but strongly criticized persistent failures. He stated that the situation, marked by repeated power outages and water distribution issues, cannot continue, emphasizing the need for officials to take responsibility and accelerate reforms. Sa茂ed stressed that each region should have its own maintenance workshops and spare parts to reduce intervention times for repairs. He also highlighted the importance of a national water management strategy to better utilize resources and called for the preservation of national heritage, inspecting the restoration of the historic Qantara Bizerte bridge. The President's visits, following a period of absence, underscored his commitment to reforming state services and improving public administration responsiveness.
Tunisian Olympic champion Ahmed Ayoub Hafnaoui secured two gold medals at the Florida Summer Championships in the United States. On the night of Saturday, July 18 to Sunday, July 19, 2026, he won the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3 minutes 50.45 seconds. This victory followed his earlier win in the 200-meter freestyle, where he finished in 1 minute 50.76 seconds. These performances indicate a strong return to form for the 23-year-old swimmer, who is aiming to be in peak condition for upcoming international events, including the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Italy, scheduled from August 21 to September 3. Hafnaoui rose to prominence with his 400m freestyle Olympic title at the Tokyo 2021 Games. He further solidified his status at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, winning two world titles in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle, and a silver medal in the 400m. He also earned a world silver medal in the 1,500m short course in Abu Dhabi in 2021. His recent double gold in Florida sends a positive signal about his readiness to compete among the world's top swimmers.
On Sunday, July 19, 2026, users worldwide experienced a major outage affecting the web versions of Facebook and Instagram. Attempts to log in from computers resulted in error messages. Facebook displayed "Account temporarily unavailable. Your account is currently unavailable due to a site issue. We hope to resolve this quickly. Please try again in a few minutes." Instagram's web version showed "Sorry, something went wrong. We're working on it and we'll get it fixed as soon as we can." Mobile applications for both social networks appeared to be functioning normally, suggesting the outage primarily impacted browser-based services. The specialized website DownDetector reported a significant increase in user complaints early in the morning, confirming the widespread nature of the incident. Many users also reported their difficulties on other accessible social media platforms. As of now, Meta has not released a statement regarding the cause of the outage or an estimated time for full restoration of services. Users are advised to wait or use the mobile applications, which seem unaffected.