Cyclone-hit Mayotte reopens airport but displaced families remain in limbo

RFI

1 January 2025 at 9:05 am·1-min read

A young girl walks in the Kaweni slum on the outskirts of Mamoudzou, in the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, Thursday, 19 December, 2024, after Cyclone Chido.

Mayotte’s airport has reopened to commercial flights, allowing civilians to return to the French Indian Ocean archipelago more than two weeks after it was devastated by Cyclone Chido. Thousands of families who lost their homes in the storm are being forced to leave emergency shelters but have nowhere to go.

Until now, only military or state-chartered planes were authorised to land in Mayotte, delivering humanitarian aid and personnel. As of Wednesday, the five airlines that operated before the cyclone will gradually resume services.

CorsAir and AirAustral are resuming links with neighbouring Reunion Island and mainland France. The three others – Kenya Airways, Ewa Air and Amelia – are expected to follow.

The civil aviation authority said flights will resume “progressively” to avoid disrupting the ongoing delivery of aid and emergency staff, with around 100 journeys per day.

The resumption of flights comes after lengthy security checks to both the airport and the surrounding area. Runways had to be cleared, signalling repaired and sufficient ground staff mobilised.

Pamandzi’s control tower, badly damaged by Cyclone Chido, is being temporarily replaced by a mobile tower provided by the French airforce.

'Nowhere to go'

They've been housed in temporary shelters, often schools.

(with AFP)

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'Nowhere to go'

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