Algeria fully reopened its national airspace to air traffic from Mali on Friday, bringing an end to a fifteen-month aviation freeze.
The two West African neighbors closed their skies to each other in April 2025 following a fierce military drone dispute.
Tensions ignited when Algerian forces shot down a Malian surveillance aircraft, sparking a deep diplomatic rift across the Sahara.
Mali strongly rejected the narrative, claiming the downed drone actually crashed entirely within its own sovereign borders.
Stepping toward reconciliation, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the immediate return of his ambassador to Bamako early Saturday.
The diplomat was originally recalled for urgent consultations last year as relations between the nations rapidly dissolved.
This unexpected renewal of flight paths signals a vital thaw in communication for the volatile border region.