Marseille Airport has been closed with all flights cancelled after a raging wildfire reached the edge of France’s second largest city.
Flames licked the outskirts of Marseille on Tuesday, with residents warned to stayed inside, close doors and keep roads clear for emergencies.
The fast-moving fire, which broke out early on Tuesday north of the city, has been fanned by winds of up to 70km per hour, as firefighters across the Mediterranean battle blazes sparked by an intense heatwave.
Locals have described the scene in southern France as ‘apocalyptic’.
Here’s everything we know from a travel perspective so far.
Is Marseille airport open and what’s happening with flights?
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Marseille’s Provence Airport suspended all flights and announced the runway had been closed around 12pm Tuesday.
Cancellations included Ryanair services to Tangier, Rabat, and Nantes, a British Airways flight to London Heathrow, a Transavia France flight to Brest, Brussels Airlines to Brussels, and an Iberia Airlines flight to Madrid.
As of 5pm, the arrival index on FlightRadar24 is at 5 — the highest possible score for cancellation and disruption.
Marseille is France’s second largest regional airport. Almost 11 million passengers transited there last year.
The website shows some flights have since managed to land, but delays are expected well into the evening.
An official message on the airport’s website says: ‘Due to a fire at Pennes Mirabeau, landings and takeoffs are suspended until further notice. We advise you to contact your airline for more information.’
It comes during peak travel season as the French summer holidays begin.
Where are the fires in Marseille?
A record-breaking heatwave that has swept southern Europe in recent weeks has raised the risk of wildfires in southern France, with several breaking out in the past few days.
In Marseille, the city officials said some 72 firefighters were battling blazes with 220 emergency vehicles, backed by helicopters and water-bombing planes.
The local fire service said on X that 168 firefighters had been deployed to fight a blaze of about 74 acres near the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, north of the city.
Michel Amiel, the town’s mayor, said two housing estates had been evacuated.
The fire could be seen in the sky over Marseille, with thick, black clouds overhead and an ‘acrid’ smell in the air, according to residents.
