Air France suspended all overflights in the Red Sea area “until further notice” on Sunday as a precaution after a crew reported seeing a “bright object” over Sudan, the French carrier said.

“Air France confirms that as a precaution, the company has decided to suspend overflights in the Red Sea region until further notice,” according to a statement obtained by AFP.

“The decision follows the observation by a crew of a bright object at a high altitude in the Sudan zone,” he added.

Air France clarified that the route followed by some of its aircraft was modified and some made a U-turn and returned to the airports from which they had departed.

Flights 473 (Mauritius-Paris), 648 (Paris-La Reunion) and 470 (Paris-Mauritius) were rerouted, which extended the flight time, the company explained.

But flights 934 (Paris-Antananarivo) and 814 (Paris-Nairobi) had to be cancelled, the aircraft returned to the French capital and will depart again when possible, he added.

Air France recalled that the safety of its customers and crews is an “absolute” and “imperative” priority and that it constantly monitors the evolution of the geopolitical situation in areas it serves or through which its aircraft pass to guarantee the “highest level safety” of its flights.

It is the only one that took such a precautionary measure, according to an AFP source in the aviation industry, who emphasized that the country’s airspace in the region has not been closed.

The situation in the Red Sea region is characterized as extremely dangerous, due to both the war in Sudan since April 2023, and the successive attacks since November 2023 by the Houthi rebels of Yemen against ships that they say are connected to Israel, because of the war in the Gaza Strip between the Israeli armed forces and Hamas.