The airline Air France has decided to extend the suspension of its flights from and to Mali and Burkina Faso until August 31 inclusive. As for flights to Niger, they remain suspended “until further notice”, a representative of the company informed.
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 airspace in neighboring Niger, the scene of a July 26 coup.
“Your slot could be granted to another company that requests it,” said the Nigerien National Civil Aviation Agency in a letter to the company. The latter asks the company to submit a new flight program before resuming its service.
Relations between France, the former colonial power engaged militarily alongside the Malian army against the jihadists since 2013, and Mali have deteriorated sharply since colonels took power by force in Bamako in August 2020.
The junta pushed French forces out in 2022 and turned politically and militarily towards Russia. She expelled the French ambassador. France and Mali this week suspended their reciprocal issuance of visas by their consular services in Bamako and Paris.
