REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File PhotoLONDON/GDANSK, Aug 7 (Reuters) - European carriers on Monday reported disruptions and suspended flights across the African continent after Niger's junta closed its airspace on Sunday.
The junta on Monday braced for a response from the West African regional bloc after ignoring its deadline to reinstate the country's ousted president or face the threat of military intervention.
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.
But aviation analyst James Halstead said that airlines would mostly have to find alternative routes and difficulties should be limited given the small number of African air connections.
Spokespeople for Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and Brussels Airlines said that flight times could be between one-and-a-half and three-and-a-half hours longer for rerouted flights.
Persons:
Charles de, Stephanie Lecocq, FlightRadar24, James Halstead, I'm, Ilona Wissenbach, Tim Hepher, Jason Neely, Mark Potter, Conor Humphries
Organizations:
REUTERS, West African, Air, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, British Airways, Thomson
Locations:
Air France, Sudan, Djibouti, Paris, Charles de Gaulle, Roissy, France, GDANSK, Libya, detours, Europe, Africa, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Bamako, Mali, Accra, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, West Africa