Air France suspends flights to some nearby countries after Niger airspace closure

FILE PHOTO: An Air France plane carrying French nationals and other European citizens, who have been evacuated from Sudan via Djibouti, is seen at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, near Paris, France, April 26, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Air France has suspended flights to and from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Bamako in Mali until Aug. 11, the company said on Monday, after Niger's junta closed its airspace on Sunday, with longer flight times expected in the west African region.

The disruption adds to a band of African airspace facing geopolitical disruptions including Libya and Sudan, with some flights facing up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) in detours.