The closure of Nigerien airspace causes chaos on the African network of Air France and many other European airlines as evidenced by the fate of the following flights:
- AF995 Johannesburg – Paris :Diverted to Abidjan
- AF977 Libreville – Paris :Uturn to Libreville
- AF149 Lagos – Paris :Canceled
- AF904 Yaoundé – Paris: Canceled
- AF705 Abidjan – Paris : Canceled
The following flights have also been diverted :
- AF813 Nairobi – Paris CDG :Diverted to Abidjan
- MD50 Antananarivo – Paris CDG : Turns around
- BA56 Johannesburg – London : Turns around
- BA55 London-Johannesburg :Returns to Europe
- Flight AF913 Nairobi -Paris CDG: With the ban of overflights of Niger, Sudan & Libya, the Boeing 787 was initially supposed to land in Abidjan to refuel. The plane should now land in Casablanca, Morocco, or try to reach Paris non-stop.
The closure of the Nigerien sky is a real disaster for Air France and many European airlines and it shows us the importance of Niger’s airspace and that bypassing it makes air travel more expensive .
Source: Le Figaro
