Air France suspended flights over the Red Sea area on Sunday as a precaution “until further notice” after a crew reported a “luminous object” over Sudan, the company announced.
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“Air France confirms that as part of the precautionary principle, the company has decided to suspend flights over the Red Sea area until further notice,” she said in a statement sent to AFP.
“This decision follows the observation by a crew of a luminous object at high altitude in the Sudan area,” she added.
Air France indicates that the itinerary of some of its flights has been changed and that some aircraft have turned around and returned to land at their departure airport.
Flights AF473 Mauritius-Paris, AF648 Paris-Reunion and AF470 Paris-Mauritius thus operated normally by adapting their itinerary, extending their flight time, specifies the French airline.
Flights AF934 Paris-Antananarivo and AF814 Paris-Nairobi have returned to Paris and will make a new departure as soon as possible.
Air France recalls that the safety of its customers and crews “is its absolute imperative” and that it constantly monitors the evolution of the geopolitical situation of the territories served and flown over by its aircraft “in order to ensure the highest level flight safety and security.
Air France is the only company to have taken this precautionary measure, a source in the aviation sector told AFP, specifying that the airspace above the region had not been closed.
The Red Sea region has experienced strong instability since November 2023. The Houthis, who control large swaths of Yemen, carry out missile and drone attacks there against ships they consider linked to Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, in the grip of a deadly war between Hamas and the Israeli army since October 7, 2023.
The attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have seriously disrupted maritime traffic in this essential area for world trade.
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