After more than 15 days of closure, the Marcel Henry airport in Dzaoudzi in Mayotte was able to reopen its runway to commercial flights, to the great relief of many passengers. An exceptional system has been put in place at Roland Garros airport.
Johanne Chung / Misbahoudine Bacar / Adjaya Hoarau
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Published on January 1, 2025 at 1:11 p.m.
Marcel Henry airport in Mayotte had remained closed to commercial flights since the passage of Cyclone Chido, more than 15 days ago. This Wednesday, January 1, 2025, to the great relief of the many passengers in distress who were unable to benefit from the air bridge between Reunion and Mayotte, commercial flights were able to resume between the two departments, as announced by Prime Minister François Bayrou on December 30 last year.
The airlines Air Austral and Corsair communicated their flight schedule yesterday. A first plane from Dzaoudzi landed in Reunion this Wednesday noon, another is planned for this evening. The first rotations in the opposite direction, from Reunion, have also resumed.
To anticipate the influx of passengers, at Roland Garros airport in Reunion this January 1, 2025, a whole special system “rouge” was put in place. Thus, the drop-off point was closed, and to be able to enter the terminal, this morning it was necessary to provide proof of a valid plane ticket. Access to the airline counters, was filtered.
The system will be in place until January 6.
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©Misbahoudine Bacar
Some passengers, like this man, express their relief at being able to return and finally see their loved ones and see with their own eyes the extent of the damage.
An entrepreneur in Mayotte, he was initially scheduled to take his return flight on December 16, the day after Cyclone Chido. No way to obtain a return via the airlift organized by the authorities, he says. “I got stuck like everyone else. I made requests to the prefectures of Reunion and Mayotte, without obtaining a favorable response for my return. My employees cannot do much due to communication difficulties in Mayotte” he whispers.
While his business was suffering the consequences of Chido, the entrepreneur had to incur additional costs, in Reunion, to be able to stay in a hotel. “The company was not able to support us in these difficult times, and despite requests“, he regrets.
Sabrina Payet was able to obtain her ticket to Mayotte yesterday, for the sum of 375 euros. “It's a relief because I haven't heard from my daughter for a while. There I will be able to see how she is doing, see the state of the house, start tidying up, cleaning…“, she explains.
The Marcel Henry airport in Dzaoudzi is also facing heavy traffic this January 1, with flights to Paris and Kenya due to take off during the day. The very first commercial flight from Paris landed this morning.
