Mauritius reportedly denies ‘Israeli’ flight landing clearance

• Mauritius refused landing clearance for an Air Seychelles flight carrying passengers from ‘Israel’.
• The tour operator said the decision was based on “political and diplomatic considerations”.
• Mauritian authorities had not publicly explained the decision.

Mauritius refused landing clearance for a scheduled Air Seychelles flight from ‘Israel’ on Saturday, forcing the cancellation of the service after efforts to secure approval failed, according to the tour operator behind the trip.

Spirit World Productions, the tour operator organising the trip, said the flight had received the necessary approvals several months earlier but was later denied permission to land in Mauritius.

The company said it was informed that the decision was based on “political and diplomatic considerations”. Mauritian authorities had not publicly commented on the matter as of Sunday.

Air Seychelles subsequently cancelled the flight, which had been scheduled to travel from Ben Gurion Airport to Mauritius. The airline operates flights between the two destinations with a stopover in Seychelles, while the tour operator had organised the trip as a charter service.

Sources cited by ‘Israeli’ media said the decision may have been connected to Mauritius’ delegation being absent from ‘Israel’i Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week. That explanation has not been publicly confirmed by Mauritian authorities.

Mauritius and ‘Israel’ established diplomatic relations in 1968, severed them in 1973 and restored them in 1993. Neither country maintains an embassy in the other, according to ‘Israeli’ media. Mauritius has also been critical of the ‘Israel’ aggression on Gaza.

Spirit World Productions said it was working with Air Seychelles and authorities to assist passengers affected by the cancellation.

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