Mali blocks Air France from starting its operations again

Mali alleges that the French business improperly suspended operations.

The military administration of Mali declared on Wednesday that flights by its flag carrier Air France will continue to be halted until a review of an earlier licence is finished.

The Malian Transport Ministry stated in a statement carried by local media that “flights were unilaterally suspended by the company without informing authorities and customers in a manner appropriate in advance.” It added that it remained committed to “defending Mali’s sovereignty.”

The choice was made a day after Air France declared it would resume Friday flights to Mali, which had been suspended in August due to the coup in neighbouring Niger. Instead of utilising its own aircraft, it intended to begin operations using “a Boeing 777-200 ER owned by Portuguese carrier EuroAtlantic Airways.”

According to the airline, its return to Bamako was “in coordination with the French DGAC [Directorate General of Civil Aviation] and the Malian authorities.” The company made this statement to the French state-funded agency AFP.

However, because the Malian authorities did not grant it air traffic rights, it was forced to reverse course.

READ ALSO: Putin and the leader of Mali talk about security and economic cooperation

According to Mali’s ministry of transportation, the National Aeronautical Authority was still “examining the request to resume flights made by the airline Air France.”

Therefore, while this file inspection process, Air France flights remain suspended, the ministry noted.

Colonel Drissa Kone, the head of Mali’s aviation department, was also let go by the military administration on Wednesday, purportedly for negotiating the French company’s return to operations without first receiving consent from the “highest authorities.”

French soldiers start leaving Niger.French soldiers are starting to leave Niger. READ MORE

The restart of flights to Bamako has been delayed until further notice, according to Air France, “following additional requests from the Malian authorities.”

Following military coups in 2020 and 2021, respectively, relations between Mali and its former colonial power, France, have gotten worse.

In response to a similar move by Paris, Mali declared in August that it had permanently halted issuing visas to French nationals. After the military in Niger toppled President Mohammed Bazoum in July, the French Foreign Ministry declared Bamako a “red zone,” citing “strong regional tensions.”

AFP