Air France, the flagship carrier of France, has temporarily suspended its flights to and from Bamako in Mali and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso until August 11.

The decision was announced on Monday in response to the closure of Niger’s airspace, which was imposed by the country’s military rulers due to perceived intervention threats.

This development significantly expands the airspace zone where most commercial flights between Europe and southern Africa are unable to operate, adding over 1000 extra kilometers to flight routes and necessitating increased fuel consumption and longer flight times.

While some flights, such as those between Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and Accra in Ghana, are set to operate non-stop, rerouted flights are anticipated to take up to three and a half hours longer, potentially requiring fuel stops.