Since April 2025, certain flights operated by Air France and Corsair to West Africa had been avoiding Algerian airspace. Specifically, flights from Paris to Abidjan had to take a more western route, flying over Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania before heading down to their destination. This detour through Moroccan airspace added approximately 30 to 45 minutes to the usual travel time, which not only increased fuel consumption but also elevated operational costs and the risk of delays. Consequently, Morocco became a crucial transit point for several European connections to Sub-Saharan Africa.
This situation was a direct result of a diplomatic crisis ignited by the Algerian military's destruction of a Malian drone. In response, Algeria had closed its airspace to flights coming from or going to Mali. Bamako retaliated with a ban on aircraft arriving from Algeria, compelling airlines to revise their flight paths to accommodate the new restrictions.
On July 10, 2026, the two nations finally restored their air traffic relations. Algeria reopened its airspace to all flights coming from or heading to Mali, regardless of their international routes. In turn, Mali reciprocated this decision concerning civilian and military aircraft associated with Algeria.
This diplomatic thaw paves the way for the return of former air corridors that traversed Algeria and Mali. Airlines can now reconsider more direct flight plans to destinations such as Abidjan, Lomé, Cotonou, and other cities in the region, rather than diverting their aircraft towards Morocco and the Atlantic facade.
However, the change is not expected to occur immediately. Each airline must account for overflight permissions, security assessments, and its operational constraints. If the old routes are reinstated, a portion of the aircraft that had been traversing Moroccan airspace for the past fifteen months should gradually disappear from its skies.
As reported by bladi.net.
