The main European airports providing direct flights to Africa have been closed due to the ash clouds stemming from an Icelandic volcano. And weather forecasts foresee further closures during the weekend, with volcanic ashes moving southwards and eastwards the European continent.
Africa’s favorite connection points in Europe, all airports in Paris and London, have been closed and will probably remain closed at least until Monday, maybe even longer. All flights to Britain are cancelled, and in France, only southern destinations such as Marseilles still remain open.
Other main European airports with direct flights to Africa being closed include Frankfurt and most German destination. Currently, Munich in Germany is still open including for flights from Johannesburg, but German authorities foresee a closure of this airport as well later today, Friday.
Further, all Dutch, Belgian, Scandinavian and Polish airports are closed. Regarding direct flights to Africa, especially the Brussels and Amsterdam airports have cancelled all flights. In Russia, Moscow connections to Africa and the rest of the world are grounded.
Forecasts indicate even more airports with direct flights to Africa will be closed later today or on Saturday and Sunday. This includes southern Germany (especially Munich), Switzerland (Zurich and Geneva), northern Italy (Milan) and Austria (Vienna).
Some major Africa-Europe connections however remain open, including Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, Marseilles and Athens. Portuguese airports, including Lisbon, however are on alert and may have to close down during the weekend.
For Africans absolutely needing to visit Europe, there remain some few options. Lisbon and Madrid can still be reached and have excellent rail connections to other Western European capitals. Spain and Portugal can also be reached through Morocco, which has excellent flight connections with large parts of Africa.
Source: Afrol News
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