Airlines suspend flights in Mali due to fuel shortages

Airlines flying to Bamako Modibo Keita International Airport (BKO) in Mali have had to cancel or divert flights over the past two days due to fuel shortages at the airport, and the situation is expected to remain unchanged until then. July 15, 2024.

Fuel shortage at Bamako airport

International airlines, including Royal Air Maroc, Air Senegal and Turkish Airlines, have cancelled their flights to Bamako between July 8 and 11. The national carrier Sky Mali has also cancelled some flights between Bamako and other Malian cities. Local authorities had previously warned of fuel shortages at Bamako airport and advised airlines to refuel at airports in neighboring countries.

Photo: Tom Boon | Easy flying

In a letter dated July 8, 2024, the Director General of the National Civil Aviation Authority of Mali (ANAC) requested the representative of the regional air traffic control authority ASECNA in Mali to issue a Notice to the Aviation Authorities (NOTAM) informing operators of the unavailability of Jet A1 fuel at Modibo Keita-Senou International Airport. from 9 to 15 July 2024Ould Mamouni, a spokesman for the Transport Ministry, told Reuters:

“There are currently a lot of flights and this is having an impact on fuel supplies. This is to tell companies that, given the limited fuel supplies, they will not be able to refuel in Bamako. They can consider stocking up in neighboring countries before coming to Mali.”

Sky Mali, a private airline operating domestic flights from Bamako, announced on July 10 the cancellation of at least four flights. According to the airline, flights ML105, 106, 109 and 110 between Bamako, Kayes and Timbuktu were cancelled due to the lack of kerosene at the airport. The airline apologized for the inconvenience caused and said:

“Sky Mali apologizes for the inconvenience caused by this situation, which affects all airlines in Bamako-Senou, and is currently taking all necessary measures to resume its flights as soon as possible. Sky Mali will inform its customers as soon as flights resume.”

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Flight disruptions in Bamako

Flightradar24 shows that disruptions at the airport began shortly after the announcement by the Director of the National Civil Aviation Authority. Many flights to the airport were cancelled, while others were diverted and delayed. On July 10, a Tunisair Airbus A320 on flight TU399 from Abidjan was scheduled to arrive in Bamako at 00:00 local time. However, it had to be diverted to Tunis-Carthage Airport (TUN).

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

Turkish Airlines has since stopped operating flights to Bamako. since July 8, 2024. The airline currently has up to six weekly flights (TK550) scheduled from Istanbul to Bamako using Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A330 aircraft. It is unclear if the airline’s flights will remain suspended for an extended period. Simple Flying has reached out to the airline for comment and we will update the article with any response.

Other airlines have had to adjust their capacity or make a technical stopover before continuing to Bamako. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows that about 13 scheduled airlines serve Bamako, with over 100 flights per week. Togo’s ASKY Airlines is the main international carrier to Bamako with 18 weekly flights, followed by Ethiopian Airlines with 14 and Royal Air Maroc with 11. Other airlines include Air Algerie, Air Burkina and Corsair.

Air France previously served Bamako daily from Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) airport. However, following the coup in Niger and the resulting closure of airspace, it was forced to suspend flights in August 2023 for security reasons. Since then, the airline has not resumed flights to Bamako as Malian authorities rejected its return plans.