Niger bans its airspace to French planes

The military regime in power in Niger has closed its airspace to “French planes”, according to a message to air crews consulted on the website of the Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (Asecna), Sunday September 24.

Niger’s airspace “is open to all national and international commercial flights, with the exception of French planes or planes chartered by France, including those in the Air France fleet”, specifies this text dated Saturday evening. The airspace remains closed for “all operational military flights and special flights”except with special authorization from the authorities, continues the message on the Asecna website.

Questioned by AFP, Air France simply declared that it “do not fly over Niger airspace”.

Relations at their lowest point since the coup

On September 4, Niger reopened its airspace for commercial flights, after nearly a month of closure. Niger announced its closure on August 6 “faced with the threat of intervention which is becoming clearer from neighboring countries”. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) then threatened to intervene militarily to restore elected president Mohamed Bazoum, overthrown by a coup on July 26.

France has repeatedly affirmed its support for ECOWAS, and relations between Paris and Niamey are at their lowest since the putsch.