Burkina Faso's Ouagadougou Airport Closed Amidst Protests; All Flights Canceled
The airport in Burkina Faso's capital city of Ouagadougou was shut down Thursday as thousands of anti-government demonstrators set the parliament building on fire and protested against the extension of President Blaise Compaore's 27-year rule. All flights in and out of the airport have been canceled until further notice.
Ouagadougou Airport (OUA) handles 98 percent of commercial air traffic to the West African country, according to the World Bank. Twelve airlines currently operate out of OUA: Air Burkina, Air France, Air Algerie, Air Cote d'Ivoire, ASKY, Brussels Airlines, Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Tunisair, Turkish Airlines and Senegal Airlines. Air France and Air Burkina handle about 60 percent of all scheduled passenger traffic.
Major destinations outside of Africa from Ouagadougou are Paris, Istanbul, Brussels and Luxembourg. Several regional airlines, including Air Burkina, fly to multiple destinations in West Africa, while other African destinations include Casablanca, Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Algiers.
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