France suspended flights to West Africa

In a significant development, Air France has made the decision to suspend its flights to Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso in West Africa. The closure of Niger's airspace by the newly established ruling junta is the reason behind this move, which is predicted to have a substantial impact on the transportation of belly cargo to and from the region.

An Air France KLM Martinair Cargo  confirmed that the carrier did not operate freighters into and out of West and Central Africa.

Air Belgium’s flight from Brussels to Johannesburg and the Turkish Airlines flight from Lagos to Istanbul diverted to the west of Niger to avoid its airspace. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Swiss have also changed the routes of flights serving Africa, using the Red Sea route to the east or the route to the west of Africa and Morocco.

Lufthansa Cargo has confirmed that although they have ceased operating freighters to West and Central Africa, they continue to offer belly capacity on passenger aircraft. This includes collaborations with Brussels Airlines, which is part of the Lufthansa Group.

Source :

https://theloadstar.com/niger-putsch-restricts-air-cargo-flows-to-and-from-west-africa/