sky

Dutch airline KLM on Wednesday said it had retracted an offer to the Dutch government for a flight to Israel to take Dutch citizens out of the country, citing safety concerns. “The military flight operated today and the most recent information on the situation in Israel indicate it is not sufficiently possible for a civilian airline to conduct a flight that’s safe for crew and passengers,” the Dutch arm of airline Air France KLM said. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would send a military plane to Israel on Thursday instead.<br/>

Air France has postponed its resumption of flights to Mali until further notice after the government there said on Wednesday it had not yet given authorisation for them to restart. Air France said on Tuesday it would resume flights to and from Mali’s capital Bamako on Oct. 13, having suspended them in August due to regional instability. Mali’s transport ministry said in a statement that it was examining the airline’s request to resume and that flights remained suspended in the meantime. “The minister recalls that flights were unilaterally suspended by the company, without properly informing the authorities and customers in advance,” the statement said, adding that it was committed to “defending Mali’s sovereignty”. Relations between Mali and its former colonial ruler France have disintegrated since army officers seized power in two coups in 2020 and 2021. “Following additional requests from the Malian authorities, the resumption of Air France flights to and from Bamako is postponed until further notice,” Air France said.<br/>