Airspace Closure After Coup Forces Flights to Divert Around Niger

After a coup in the Republic of Niger the leaders of the armed services have closed the airspace of the country until further notice citing the possible external military intervention.

In response, a number of flights have been diverted in the region, and some are returning to their original airports.
In the last week, the political climate in Niger was very hostile. The country's democratically-elected president was ousted in a coup by the military. On July 26, Niger’s defense forces and the presidential guard staged a coup to detain President Mohamed Bazoum, and take control of the nation.

Internationally, the move was strongly condemned, including by the United States, European Union and Economic Community of West African States. (ECOWAS) which includes Ghana, Nigeria and other West African states. The armed forces took control of the country and closed its borders. They also imposed a curfew on the entire nation, trapping any aircraft already on the ground.

Foreign governments have begun evacuating citizens from Niger due to unrest. France began evacuation flights on August 2 with three Airbus A330s including two Multi Role Tanker Transportation (MRTT) aircraft and a Lockheed Martin C130J Super Hercules. France evacuated 1,079 passengers, while 262 arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle. UK, Italy and the US all performed rescue missions.

No flight in sight

Niger announced earlier today that the country had closed its airspace due to threats of foreign intervention. Aircraft already over the West African nation were diverted and rerouted.

It is likely that the initial NOTAM will be extended. FlightRadar24.com published the following NOTAM:

A0990/23 NOTAMN Q) DRRR/QARLC/IV/NBO/E/000/999/1650N00239E999 A) DRRR B) 2308062222 C) 2308072359 EST E) THE NIGER REPUBLIC AIRSPACE FROM GROUND TO ILL, INCLUDING ALL ATS ROUTES, IS CLOSED FOR ALL FLIGHTS.

The main hub of the country, Niamey Hamani International Airport (NIM), is where most commercial flights are handled. DRRR stands for the Niamey Flight Information Region, or the area in which flight information services are provided. This does not mean that the political boundaries of the country are the same, since a part of Niger lies within the N'Djamena Flight Information Region, which is owned by neighboring Chad.

Flight disruptions

While some flights have been diverted to Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali, others are canceled. The disruption has affected all flights between Sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe.

British Airways flight BA56, which was originally scheduled to fly from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) in South Africa to London Heathrow Airport LHR, has been diverted to Johannesburg. The flight took off at 19:44 from JNB and was supposed to land at LHR by 05:30. The sudden airspace closure was announced as the Airbus A380 flew over Chad. This forced its return. It is beyond the airline's ability to control. British Airways told Simple Flying that the situation was out of their control.

"We've apologized to those customers affected for the disruption to their journeys. Our teams are working hard to get them on their way again as quickly as possible."

Air France was also forced to change its schedule. Air France announced it would cease operating flights to Niamey, but will continue flying between Paris and Lome. The airline will also suspend its flights to Bamako, Mali, and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso up until August 11, 2011. Passengers can expect to see longer flight times in the future for several sub-Saharan destination. Air France released a statement:

"Following the Coup in Niger and due to the geopolitical situation in the Sahel region, Air France has had to adapt its flight schedule to Niamey (Niger), Bamako (Mali), and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). In liaison with the French authorities, Air France is constantly monitoring developments in the geopolitical situation in the areas served and overflown by its aircraft and reiterates that the safety of its customers and crews is its top priority."

Some airlines in sub-Saharan Africa have not been affected by the airspace closure. Kenya Airways told Simple Flying that "there is no impact as all our flights are routing via the Red Sea, and our operations are continuing as normal."

 

Source: simpleflying.com