Tuninter
Tunisia · Active
Airline Identity
History
The airline now known as Tunisair Express was founded on 1 August 1991 as Tuninter, initially flying domestic routes within Tunisia before being permitted to expand internationally from 2000. It became internationally known for the 6 August 2005 ditching of Flight 1153, an ATR 72 (radio callsign TUI1153) that came down in the Mediterranean off Sicily after fuel starvation caused by an incorrectly fitted fuel gauge, an accident that also led Italy to briefly ban the carrier from its airspace. The airline was renamed "SevenAir" (Compagnie Aérienne Sevenair Tunisie) on 7 July 2007 under ownership linked to then-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's family, and was renamed again to Tunisair Express on 14 January 2011 in the aftermath of Tunisia's 2011 revolution.
Current Operations
Tunisair Express operates as a regional subsidiary of Tunisia's national carrier Tunisair, flying scheduled domestic routes within Tunisia along with international services to Italy, France, and Malta from its Tunis base. A plan announced in December 2015 to eventually fold Tunisair Express back into its parent Tunisair for efficiency has not been completed, and the carrier continues to operate under its own name and UG code.
Last verified 2026-09-03· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.