Cape Town – Niger’s decision to restrict its airspace has reportedly led to flight diversions and disruptions for several airlines.
According to Bloomberg News, British Airways (BA) had multiple flights diverted to and from its London hubs due to the airspace closure, including routes to Nairobi, Cape Town, and Johannesburg.
BA confirmed in social media posts that some flights, including one from London Heathrow to Johannesburg, had been diverted because of the airspace closure over Niger.
Hi there. The flight to Johannesburg had to return to London Heathrow due to airspace closure over Niger I’m afraid. Kevin B
— British Airways (@British_Airways) August 7, 2023
“We’ve apologised 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,” the report quoted BA as saying in a statement.
Other airlines like Air France, KLM, and Deutsche Lufthansa AG also experienced diversions and delays.
The closure forces flights between Europe and southern Africa to take longer routes, adding an hour or more to travel times.
The airspace restrictions in Niger, as well as those over Sudan and Libya, are causing airlines to extend flight times and carry extra fuel.
The closure was prompted by warnings of potential attacks from foreign powers, as Niger’s junta remains in power after a coup in July, rejecting calls for a return to democracy.
The restrictions are expected to continue until further notice.
Despite the disruptions, an aviation analyst noted that the impact might be limited due to the relatively small number of African air connections, IOL reported.
Niger’s coup is the latest of several in Africa’s Sahel belt since 2020.
Niger has been critical to Western strategies to combat jihadist insurgencies that have plagued the Sahel since 2012, with France and the United States stationing around 1 500 and 1 000 troops in the country respectively.
The second-ranking US diplomat met Niger’s military leaders on Monday to press to reverse a coup but reported no headway a day after an ultimatum from the West African bloc Ecowas was ignored.
Victoria Nuland, a veteran envoy and acting deputy secretary of state, said she met for more than two hours with military chiefs who ousted democratically elected Western ally Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.
“Extremely frank and at times quite difficult”, that’s how the Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland described the face-to-face talks with Niger’s military leaders.
The US official said the offer of help wasn’t “taken up on that offer”.https://t.co/1v2FpPMIDm pic.twitter.com/kIzY22kZNN
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) August 8, 2023
Nuland’s trip, conducted in secrecy until she left, came after the expiration of a deadline set by Ecowas to reinstate Bazoum by midnight (2300 GMT) on Sunday or risk military intervention.
The 15-nation bloc is reconvening for its own diplomatic push on the crisis with a summit Thursday in Nigerian capital Abuja.
A source close to Ecowas said an immediate military intervention to restore Bazoum was not envisaged at this stage, adding that the path to dialogue still appeared open.
Speaking to reporters before her departure, Nuland described her talks as “extremely frank and at times quite difficult”.
She said she offered the coup leaders “a number of options” to exit the crisis and restore the relationship with the United States, which like other Western nations has suspended aid.
“I would not say that we were in any way taken up on that offer,” she said.
She added that the coup leaders did not respond to her requests to meet Niger’s self-proclaimed new leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, or the detained elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, although US officials have been in touch with Bazoum by telephone.
Nuland said she met Brigadier General Moussa Salaou Barmou, who has been named the new military chief of staff and who has worked closely in the past with the United States, which along with former colonial power France has based anti-jihadist operations in the Sahel out of Niger.
Nuland said she warned Niger against following neighbouring Mali in bringing in Russia’s Wagner mercenaries.
“The people who have taken this action here understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited in,” said Nuland, who is known for her hawkish stance on Russia.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
Additional reporting by AFP
