Published on •Updated
Marseille Airport was temporarily closed on Tuesday due to a wildfire raging close to the southern French port city.
An official update from the transport hub states that flights have now resumed without restrictions as of 9.30am on 9 July, although delays and cancellations are still expected.
Train traffic was also halted in most of the surrounding area, and some roads were closed and others tangled with logjams.
The prefecture said in a statement Tuesday evening that ’’the situation is under control,″ though the fire has not yet been extinguished. It described the fire as ’’particularly virulent.″
It urged people in the affected areas to stay indoors and off the roads.
Flights still delayed and cancelled at Marseille Airport
Flights to and from Marseille Provence Airport have resumed, but travellers are still advised to prepare for disruption.
“Delays or cancellations may nevertheless occur. We invite travellers to consult the updated list of departing and arriving flights in real time, and to contact their airline for more information,” the airport says in a notice on their website.
“Travellers with a reservation on a cancelled flight are asked not to go to the airport and to contact their airline to find out the conditions that apply.”
So far, flights that have been cancelled today are Turkish Airlines to Istanbul, Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Air France to Paris CDG, Aegean Cronus Airlines to Athens, Iberia to Madrid, Brussels Airlines to Brussels, Lufthansa to Munich, and Pegasus Airlines to Istanbul.
Several arrivals are also delayed or cancelled.
The airport adds that access to the transport hub by public transport and by road from Marseille remains disrupted, and travellers should give themselves extra time for the journey.
On Tuesday, Marseille Airport closed at around midday and halted all flights as wildfires, fanned by winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour, raged nearby.
Some flights were diverted to Nice, Nimes and other regional airports.
The disruption comes during a peak travel season as the French summer holiday period begins.
Train traffic halted around Marseille
The prefecture said train traffic was halted, notably after a fire neared the tracks in L’Estaque, a picturesque neighbourhood of Marseille.
SNCF, France’s national rail operator, said rail travel to and from Marseille would remain “highly affected” on Wednesday.
Its website shows more than a dozen train services have been cancelled or delayed in and out of the city.
ZOU! rail service suspended its services in both directions between Marseille and Miramas.
French regions under red alert for wildfires
Several weeks of heatwaves combined with strong winds have increased the risk of wildfires in southern France, with several breaking out over the past couple of days.
More than 1,000 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fire, which broke out near the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau before racing toward Marseille. Some 720 hectares were hit by the blaze, the prefecture said.
Nine firefighters were injured, according to the prefecture, or local administration. No dead have been reported.
Hundreds of homes were evacuated. The prefecture urged people in the affected areas to stay indoors and off the roads. With the fire approaching Marseille, the prefecture also advised residents in the north of the city to keep windows closed to prevent toxic smoke from entering their homes.
A red alert has been issued for forest fire risk in Bouches-du-Rhone, Var, and Vaucluse, France.
