After almost four weeks after re-opening its airspace, the Republic of Niger has banned all French aircraft, including the Air France fleet, from operating in its airspace.
Following a military coup, Niger’s airspace was closed to all flights on August 6, however it eventually reopened on September 4.
In a statement, from the Presidency of the Republic of Niger, sent to the Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa on September 23, the country issued a new restriction affecting French commercial and military flight operations, reported simpleflying.com.
“Niger has decided to restrict access to its airspace. This remains open to all national commercial flights and international aircraft, with the exception of French aircraft and those chartered by France, including the Air France fleet. In addition, all operational military flights and special flights remain prohibited unless exceptionally authorized by the authorities," said the statement.
The Presidency said that its decision represents the wishes of the people of Niger to regain control of the country’s airspace.
After Niger closed its airspace, Air France had to suspend flights to Niamey (Niger), Bamako (Mali), and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) due to safety concerns. As a result, the civil aviation authorities of Mali and Burkina Faso also suspended the airline’s authorisation to operate its summer 2023 flights, causing inconvenience for the airline’s passengers. Air France previously operated daily flights from Paris Charles se Gaulle to Bamako, four weekly flights to Niamey and three weekly flights to Ouagadougou.
The airline has not been able to return to these routes and the new restriction will further affect its Western African operations.
However, the reopening of the airspace for other airlines has allowed flights between Europe and Southern Africa to return to their original routes, including BA’s A380 flight between Johannesburg and London.
