British Airways flight #BA56 was forced to return to Johannesburg 11 hours after takeoff.
The British Airways A380 flight #BA56 to London Heathrow was forced to return Johannesburg.
But the airspace closure of the Niger is a nightmare for airlines.
Central Africa is a key overflight area. Beside Niger, airspaces of Sudan and Libya are also closed due to wars.
When the junta closed the Niger’s airspace with immediate effect, the aircraft (reg. G-XLEI) was already airborne since 4 hours.
It landed back at OR Tambo at 6:30.
The flight typically takes 11 hours to reach London and cross most of Africa.
The flight #BA55 departed London at 20.00 BST but was forced to return over Algeria.
The A380 (reg. G-XLEK) was forced to be on hold for 2 hours before descending to London Heathrow.
The plane could not land before 4.30 BST, 7 hours after departure.