Niger’s Airspace Closure Forces Airlines to Adjust Flights for Fuel Stops

In response to the abrupt closure of Niger’s airspace, airlines are facing the urgent task of ensuring that their flights to and from Africa are equipped with sufficient fuel reserves to reach their intended destinations.

As per the latest information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) has been issued, indicating that the closure of Niger Republic airspace will be effective from 11:22 PM local time (UTC +1) on August 6, 2023, and is set to remain in place until 11:59 PM (UTC) on August 7, 2023. The NOTAM explicitly states, “The Niger Republic airspace, from ground to ILL, along with all ATS routes, is restricted for all flight operations.”

Sources from the BBC have conveyed that Niger’s junta, which seized control of the country’s government on July 26, 2023, has declared the closure of the nation’s airspace due to concerns of potential invasion. A televised statement by the junta confirmed this decision. During the period between August 2 and August 4, 2023, the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened in Abuja, Nigeria. Discussions among ECOWAS representatives centered around the situation in Niger following the coup.

In response to the developments, ECOWAS issued a deadline of 11:59 PM local time (UTC +1) on August 6, 2023, for Niger’s junta to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum. Additionally, an intervention plan was formulated.

The unexpected closure of Niger’s airspace has triggered a race among airlines to seek alternative routes for flights to and from Africa, particularly for carriers with routes spanning the northern to southern parts of the continent.

For instance, British Airways’ Airbus A380, bearing the registration G-XLEI and operating flight BA56 from Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), South Africa, to London Heathrow Airport (LHR), UK, opted to return to JNB after approximately five hours of flight time over Africa. Similarly, another Airbus A380, registered as G-XLEK, reversed course to LHR during its flight to JNB on BA56 after around four hours of flight time, as indicated by flightradar24.com data.

On August 6, 2023, Virgin Atlantic’s flight VS449 from LHR to JNB took 10 hours and 55 minutes, contrasting with the flight duration of 10 hours and 19 minutes on the same route the previous day.

Concurrently, a Lufthansa Boeing 747-8I, identified as D-ABYR, diverted to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) in Lagos, Nigeria, marking the inaugural appearance of a 747-8I at the airport. The German airline’s aircraft required diversion and refueling to complete its journey between JNB and Frankfurt Airport (FRA).

In a separate incident, an eastbound Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-8, registered as TC-LCF, made a temporary stopover at LOS while en route from Pointe Noire Airport (PNR), Congo, to Istanbul Airport (IST), before resuming its flight to IST.

In accordance with a report from France’s BFM Business, Air France has announced the cancellation of specific flights to neighboring countries until at least August 11, 2023. Affected destinations include Niamey, Niger, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Bamako, Mali. The airline has also indicated that select flights will experience delays ranging from 15 minutes to two hours due to the airspace closure.