By Emmanuel Nduka
Following the coup d’état in Niger that ousted President Mohammed Bazoum, Air France has extended “until August 18 inclusive” the suspension of its flights to and from Bamako and Ouagadougou, because of Niger’s “geopolitical situation in the Sahel region”.
This was announced by the airline on Friday.
Earlier on Monday, Air France had announced a suspension of its flights to Mali and Burkina Faso until Friday, shortly after the closure of the airspace of neighbouring Niger.
Heritage Times HT had reported that the Malian and Burkinabè authorities gave their support to the perpetrators of the July 26 coup in Niger. T
Yesterday, the West African Region bloc – ECOWAS, gave the green light to the use of force to restore the ousted President Bazoum, without however excluding diplomatic means to resolve the crisis.
The closure of Niger’s airspace is forcing companies to make large detours to reach Europe, lengthening flight times.
Air France says it is “in contact with the French authorities” to monitor “permanently the evolution of the geopolitical situation of the territories served and overflown by its aircraft” and recalls that “the safety of its customers and its crews is its absolute priority”.
