Air Algérie CEO Hamza Benhamouda Steps In with Profound Humanitarian Gesture After Disabled Passenger Ejected from Canada-Bound Flight

✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

In an exceptional act of compassion and leadership, the head of Algeria’s national airline personally intervenes to support a vulnerable passenger abandoned at the airport, vowing justice and restoring the company’s moral compass.

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Algiers, Algeria | June 21st, 2025 — In a remarkable act of empathy and moral leadership, Hamza Benhamouda, CEO of Air Algérie, has garnered praise after personally intervening to rescue a disabled Algerian passenger who had been disgracefully removed from a Canada-bound flight due to his condition.

The incident occurred during a scheduled Air Algérie flight to Canada, when a passenger with special needs—a dual national residing abroad—was forced off the aircraft after boarding, despite having completed all the required formalities. According to reports, a steward informed the man that he could not travel unaccompanied due to his physical disability and ordered him off the plane, showing no regard for his condition or his pleas.

To compound the ordeal, the passenger, who had entrusted his mobile phone to family members who had already left the airport, was left stranded for hours at the terminal, helpless and unable to contact anyone.

News of the distressing situation eventually reached Air Algérie’s CEO, who responded not with bureaucratic indifference, but with swift and decisive humanitarian action. Mr. Hamza Benhamouda personally made his way to the airport, located the passenger, extended the airline’s official apology, and ensured that the traveler was given full care.

Going further, the CEO arranged premium accommodation at a five-star hotel in Algiers while the passenger awaited the next available flight to Canada. In a firm show of accountability, Benhamouda also promised disciplinary measures against the steward and any other staff responsible for the unjust treatment, signaling a clear stance on ethical responsibility and service excellence.

Observers and commentators were quick to recall that Mr. Benhamouda is the son of Abdelhak Benhamouda, the late national hero who gave his life for Algeria’s future. The son’s action, they say, is a living homage to his father’s legacy—rooted in values of justice, solidarity, and national pride.

Source: Translated and adapted from La Patrie News
Original article: https://lapatrienews.dz/le-geste-hautement-humanitaire-du-pdg-dair-algerie/

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