Air France flights to Mali will not resume on Friday October 13. The airline announced on Tuesday the resumption of its Bamak service, which had been suspended since August 7. But this Wednesday, the Malian transitional authorities announced that the resumption of Air France flights had not finally been confirmed.
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“ The national aeronautical authority is currently examining the resumption request,” “consequently Air France flights remain suspended during this procedure (examination of the file). »
The press release from the Malian Ministry of Transport does not mention any reversal or about-face, but “ reiterates its commitment to defending the sovereignty of Mali. »
On Tuesday, Air France nevertheless indicated that the resumption of its flights was taking place “ in coordination with the Malian authorities », and announced three weekly flights starting this Friday, as part of a partnership with the Portuguese company Euro Atlantic Airways.
Was the Malian decision taken at an insufficiently high level of the hierarchy?
Did the announcement made from Paris and not from Bamako offend the leaders of the Transition?
According to certain sources, the director of Malian Civil Aviation (Anac) has been dismissed from his position. RFI was not able to officially confirm this information with the relevant authorities.
In its press release, the Malian Ministry of Transport recalls that the suspension of its flights by the French company, on August 7, was taken unilaterally.
Air France had at the time justified it by the “coup d’état in Niger” and “ the geopolitical situation » in the Sahel. This suspension was then extended several times.
It did not only concern Mali, but also Burkina. – discussions are underway with Ouagadougou for a possible resumption – and Niger – no resumption envisaged to date by the company.
Asked by RFI, Air France soberly confirmed “ additional requests » from the Malian transitional authorities and specified that the resumption of its flights to Bamako was therefore “postponed until further notice. »