There will be no Air France plane to the Sahel before September 24, at least. The airline announced that it would extend by one week the suspension of its flights to and from Mali and Burkina Faso, with flights to Niger remaining stopped “until further notice”. The French company, the main airline between Europe and Africa, suspended its flights to Bamako (7 flights per week), Ouagadougou (5 flights per week) and Niamey (4 flights per week) on August 7. after the closure of Niger’s airspace, the scene of a coup d’état on July 26.
This airspace was reopened on September 4 and Air France immediately announced that its planes would resume flying over Nigerien territory, but without resuming service to Niamey. “Following the coup d’état in Niger and due to the geopolitical situation in the Sahel region, Air France is required to adapt its flight schedule to and from Niamey (Niger), Bamako (Mali) and Ouagadougou (Burkina). Faso),” said a company spokesperson on Friday.
Air France no longer has the right to fly over Mali
“The suspension of flights from and to Bamako is extended until September 24 inclusive”, as is that of “flights from and to Ouagadougou”, while “service to Niamey remains suspended until further notice”. “In conjunction with the French authorities, the company constantly monitors the evolution of the geopolitical situation in the territories served and flown by its aircraft and reminds that the safety of its customers and its crews is its absolute priority,” according to the same source. .
Air France had already extended this suspension four times. In retaliation, the authorities of Mali, whose military leaders are in solidarity with the Nigerien putschists, canceled Air France’s authorization to fly aircraft between Paris and Bamako, citing a “notorious breach” of the terms of its authorization to exploitation. This cancellation is valid for the entire summer season, which extends until October, and the Malian National Civil Aviation Agency has threatened Air France with giving up its slots “to another company that requests it”.