Air France (AF, Paris CDG) has maintained a moratorium on direct flights from Paris Orly to Cayenne Rochambeau Airport for a fourth straight day following the outbreak of mass protests across French Guiana this past weekend.
Parts of the French South American possession, including schools, shops and airports, have been shut since Monday amid a general strike over high crime rates, the cost of living, and a lack of public services.
With access to Cayenne's airport blocked, Air France has had to re-route passengers through Fort de France, Martinique, where a second daily rotation from Paris Orly has been added. Flights between Fort de France and Cayenne are currently operated by an Air France A320-200.
Air Caraibes (TX, Pointe à Pitre) has also cancelled its Paris-Cayenne service through Wednesday, March 29, pending an improvement in the security situation. The next flight is provisionally scheduled for Friday, March 31.
The closure of Cayenne Rochambeau Airport has also affected the Ariane launch program. An Airbus Defence & Space satellite, designed to provide in-flight broadband in the Asia-Pacific, is currently being maintained in an An-124 at Cayenne Rochambeau Airport as transport workers and protesters have blocked access to the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) at Kourou in French Guiana.
The satellite, Eutelsat 172B, is the first high-power all-electric telecommunications satellite and was shipped from Toulouse Blagnac to Cayenne on March 20. It was scheduled for launch on board Arianespace's Ariane 5 on April 25. Once deployed, Eutelsat 172B will be able to provide data speeds of 1.8Gbps for in-flight internet connectivity, particularly through the Asia-Pacific region. Panasonic Avionics Corporation will use the satellite for its trans-Pacific and Asian in-flight broadband.
However, protesters blocking roads have prevented the satellite from being moved to the final assembly facility. The suspension of operations at the CSG will push back the lift-off date for all launches.
As at the morning of March 28, the satellite was still stored in the An-124 in at Cayenne airport, according to a Twitter post from Eutelsat Corporate Communications Director, Vanessa O'Connor, who also said that Airbus Defence & Space is monitoring the satellite 24/7.
The Deputy Director General of the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), Joel Barre, told a press conference that the satellite is secure. "Leaving this satellite in a container in the Antonov is not ideal, but there is air conditioning in the Antonov and there is no risk of degradation of the satellite," Barre said.
Citizens of Kourou have been protesting for the past week over various concerns, including the potential privatization of the Kourou Medical and Surgical Centre, unemployment, and the use of French contractors in local projects.
