Overview
Five Tunisian airlines operate in the country, two state-owned and three privately held. Tunisair, the country’s national flag airline and the major carrier serving international markets, remains heavily subsidized by the government. Tunisair plans to implement a critical restructuring to restore its fleet and stabilize operations in the 2026-2030 timeframe. Boasting 28 aircraft in 2010, the fleet declined to 14 aircraft in service in May 2025, including leased aircraft. Despite financial challenges, the government remains committed to restructuring the airline and does not seek privatization. In the first half of 2025, Tunisair transported 1.15 million passengers, a 1.5% decline from 2024. However, reliance on leased planes improved the load factor (filled seats) by 74.8% over the same period. As a result, transport revenues grew by 4% over the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, reaching $233 million.
Tunisair Express, Tunisia’s second publicly owned airline and a subsidiary of Tunisair, operates domestic and short-distance international flights through a fleet of nine ATR turboprops. It is also interested in possible fleet expansion.
Of the three private airlines, Nouvelair is the largest and operates a fleet of 13 Airbus A320s. Tunisavia, a private commercial fixed-wing and helicopter operator, services desert and offshore petroleum installations. Express Air Cargo serves African and European countries from Tunis via four Boeing 737s. Ninety export-oriented aerospace companies, mostly French, operate in Tunisia across a wide range of sectors, including aircraft maintenance, aerospace wiring, engineering and consultancy, metal sheet cutting and assembly, software development, and electronics. The aerospace industry employed about 20,000 people as of 2022. The Tunisian Aerospace Industry Association, a leading Tunisian aerospace industry trade organization, has 51 member companies.
As a result of a 2009 Memorandum of Understanding between EADS (reorganized as Airbus Group in 2014) and the Tunisian government, EADS launched an aeronautical industrial zone near the Port of Rades. The facility constructs aircraft sub-assemblies for Airbus.
Latécoère, a major Airbus supplier, runs two cable factories in Tunisia. Another major supplier, Zodiac Aerospace, recently acquired by Safran, runs four production sites for passenger seats and metal structures. These projects created an avionics supply chain system. In partnership with Telnet Holding, a high-tech Tunisian engineering company, Altran established engineering, research, and development platforms specialized in advanced aerospace technology. U.S. aerospace company Pursuit Aerospace (formerly Paradigm Precision) has two manufacturing plants in the industrial zone of El Mghira, a suburb of Tunis.
Tunisia has also positioned itself in the niche market of light airplane manufacturing. Two local companies, Avionav and Evada Aircraft, manufacture and export two- and four-seat light airplanes for several countries, including Italy, Spain, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria.
In late 2024, the Minister of Transport announced that studies related to the expansion of Tunis-Carthage International Airport, the country’s main air terminal, are underway. He stated that the project includes the construction of a new 80,000-square meter terminal adjacent to the current one. This terminal is expected to accommodate up to 8 million passengers per year, bringing the total capacity of the airport to 13 million passengers annually.
In 2017, the EU and Tunisia signed a Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement to facilitate air travel and trade between the two regions. To date, the agreement has yet to be fully implemented. The Tunisian government has indicated interest in negotiating an air transport agreement with the United States. Tunisia signed an air transport agreement with Canada in 2009. In 2016, Tunisair began direct flight service to Montreal.
Opportunities
Tunisia’s tourism sector has largely recovered from the 2011 revolution, terrorist attacks on tourist sites in 2015, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Private sector airlines, in particular, appear to be increasing routes to underserved European markets. The aviation agreement with the EU has expanded competition and allowed lower airline ticket prices for cost-sensitive tourists.
Tunisair’s planned restructuring and fleet restoration creates opportunities for U.S. companies specializing in aircraft maintenance, logistics, sales, leasing, aviation technology, and workforce training. ith plans to restore grounded planes to service and modernize operations, Tunisair requires advanced diagnostic tools; maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services; and fuel-efficient solutions. Reliance on leased aircraft and efforts to optimize operations also open doors for U.S. firms offering fleet management systems and sustainable aviation technologies.
Additionally, Tunisia is positioning itself as an industrial hub with high added-value capability in the manufacture of avionics, aircraft servicing, engine components, air-traffic-control equipment, and other areas. The government provides tax breaks and other incentives for foreign investment in this sector. Tunisia also offers an educated, relatively low-cost workforce, including trained engineers, and close proximity to Europe.
Resources
Tunisia Investment Authority (TIA)
Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA)
Association of Tunisian Aerospace Industries (GITAS)
Office of Civil Aviation and Airports (OACA)
Ministry of Transportation