Air France has extended “until August 31 inclusive” the suspension of its flights to and from Mali and Burkina Faso, with flights to Niger being paralyzed “until further notice”, we learned this Thursday with the company.
Fifteen flights per week suspended
The French company, the main airline between Europe and Africa, suspended its flights to Bamako (7 weekly flights), Ouagadougou (5 weekly flights) and Niamey (4 weekly flights) on August 7 after the closure of the airspace of neighboring Niger . the scene of a coup on July 26. On August 11, Air France had already extended these connections until Friday “after the coup in Niger and due to the geopolitical situation in the Sahel region.”
In retaliation, the Malian authorities, whose military leaders have stood in solidarity with the coup leaders in Niger, canceled Air France’s authorization to operate between Paris and Bamako, citing a “egregious breach” of the terms of its authorization to operate. This cancellation is valid for the entire summer season, which runs until October. “Your space could be given to another company that requests it,” Niger’s National Civil Aviation Agency said in a letter to the company. The latter requests the company to present a new flight program before resuming its service.
Coup in Niger on July 26
Relations between France, a former colonial power involved militarily alongside the Malian army against jihadists since 2013, and Mali have deteriorated sharply since colonels forcibly seized power in Bamako in August 2020. The junta pushed the forces towards the exit in 2022 and turned politically and militarily towards Russia. He expelled the French ambassador. France and Mali this week suspended the reciprocal issuance of visas by their consular services in Bamako and Paris.
Source: BFM TV
