A British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) flight was unable to land at Accra, Ghana on April 8, 2022, due to overflight airspace restrictions over Mali, according to a joint statement by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL).
Flightradar24 ADS-B data showed flight BA81, on B777-200ER G-YMMB (msn 30303), from London Heathrow to Accra turned around over Algeria and diverted to Malaga, Spain before returning to London.
A NOTAM issued on April 8 declared that flights to or from aerodromes in ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) states were banned from overflying Mali, effective from 0753L (0753Z) on April 8, 2022, to 2359L (2359Z) on May 8, 2022, in accordance with an announcement by the Mali Transitional Government on January 9, 2022.
Traffic between Mali and other ECOWAS states remains suspended except for flights to/from Guinea.
These restrictions do not affect military and special flights with prior authorisation from Mali authorities, the NOTAM reads.
ECOWAS states include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
The situation revolves around a stand-off between ECOWAS and Mali's Transitional Government over delayed democratic elections, culminating in the imposition by ECOWAS of economic and financial sanctions, including the closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS member states and Mali. Mali has strongly condemned ECOWAS and in turn, has closed its land and air borders to ECOWAS member states and has recalled its ambassadors from member countries. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union has endorsed the ECOWAS sanctions on Mali.
