On Monday August 7th, Air France announced the indefinite suspension of its flights to Niger, as well as to Mali and Burkina Faso due to the geopolitical situation in the Sahel region. The decision came in the midst of the tension caused by the military coup junta in Niger, which took place on July 26th. The junta took decision to close the country’s airspace also on August 7th.
Air France has announced that until further notice it will suspend flights to Niamey in response to the closure of airspace imposed by the military junta. As a result, flights with stopovers in Niamey, such as the Paris-Lomé flights, will be affected.
“Due to the ongoing coup in Niger and the closure of airspace and Niamey-Diori Hamani airport, Air France will no longer serve Niamey-Diori Hamani airport until further notice,” the airline announced. “Air France is suspending flights to and from Ouagadougou and Bamako.” The suspension had been originally scheduled to end on August 11th but it was later extended until the 18th.
Air France has acknowledged that due to this situation, some flights to sub-Saharan destinations could experience longer hauls, although no additional details were provided. According to the company, the rationale behind this decision was to ensure the safety of its aircraft, passengers, and crew.
The airline has stressed that it is working closely with the French government to monitor the evolution of the geopolitical situation in the countries to which it operates flights. Passenger and crew safety remains its “absolute priority”.
The closure of the country’s airspace has caused chaos for flights between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. Carriers have been forced to reroute adding up to two hours of flight time to their flying time.
Meanwhile, authorities in both Burkina Fasso and Mali have reacted to the suspension of flights. the Agence Nationale de l’Aviation Civile du Mali (ANAC) has responded by canceling Air France’s authorization to operate flights for the rest of summer 2023, according to Simple Flying.
“Evoking reasons related to geopolitics in the Sahel region and security constraints for your customers and crew, you decided to cancel your flights without prior notification to the Malian authorities while causing inconvenience to passengers,” wrote ANAC’s Secretary General in a letter addressed to Air France. “I inform you that this failure leads to the cancellation of your authorization to operate flights of your summer 2023 season program approved by the Time Slot Allocation Committee (COHOR), and your slot could be granted to another company that requests it.”
For its part, Burkina Faso’s Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC-BF) has accused the French airline of breaching the air transport agreement between the two countries, according to Simple Flying magazine. ANAC-BF’s Director General Thomas Hyacinthe has asked the carrier to submit a new flight schedule for approval before resumption of services for the remaining part of this summer.
Side effects of air space closure
Some 4.3 million people in Niger are need of aid, according to the UN. This number will most likely increase as international sanctions come into effect following the military coup on July 26th. The junta’s decision to close Niger’s airspace is further reducing access to aid, UN humanitarian coordinator for Niger Louise Aubin told French news outlet France 24. “This has certainly interrupted some of our humanitarian operations given that we’re so reliant on having to cover vast space. It’s a huge country.”
