Air France Suspends Flights Over Red Sea Due To ‘Luminous Object’

Avoiding Certain Airspaces

Air France has halted its flights over the Red Sea following a safety alert from a pilot operating one of its planes in the Sudanese airspace. According to a statement made to AFP and reported by La Tribune, the airline confirmed that it has decided to suspend flights over the Red Sea for the time being as a precaution. The report also mentioned that while some routes have been altered to avoid the region, other flights were required to return to Paris, France, before departing again for the exact location.

Air France stated that the well-being of its pilots, flight attendants, and passengers is their top priority. To uphold this commitment, the airline actively monitors the security conditions affecting aircrafts traveling to or through the airspace of certain nations. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) currently has multiple active conflict zone information bulletins (CZIBs), including regions within the Red Sea basin. The list features nations like Israel, Sudan, and Yemen, as well as several African countries such as Libya, Mali, Somalia, and South Sudan.

The CZIB regarding Yemen's airspace has advised airlines to steer clear of operations within the Sana’a flight information region (FIR) across all altitudes and flight levels. However, there are exceptions for the maritime section of FIR SANAA, located east of a specified route, where airlines are urged to proceed with caution at all flight levels, as noted by EASA. Updated on October 31, the CZIB is set to be valid until at least April 30, 2025, assuming the security conditions do not decline further.

Turnbacks and Reroutings

For more information about the luminous object and how it is affecting flights across the region, go to SimpleFlying.com:

“Some Air France flights have turned back or rerouted as the airline enacted its ban. For example, the airline’s Boeing 787-9, registered as F-HRBC, was operating flight AF814 from Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), Kenya.

On November 3, the aircraft turned around just as it was about to overfly Egypt and flew back to Paris. On November 4, it departed the French capital, and instead of flying eastward through Italy, Greece, Egypt, the Red Sea (while avoiding Sudan), Eritrea, and Ethiopia before landing in Kenya, which had been a typical route for the itinerary, the airline’s pilots flew southward above France and Spain before entering Africa through Algeria.”

Source: Air France Suspends Flights Over Red Sea After Pilot Spots "Luminous Object" – Simple Flying

https://simpleflying.com/air-france-suspends-flights-red-sea-pilot-spots-luminous-object/

Photo Source: WIX - www.wix.com 

Written by AQUAMERGE

November 4th, 2024