Cyclone disrupts holidaymakers as Mauritius international airport closed

Hundreds of holidaymakers who had planned to travel between Mauritius and South Africa will be affected as the Mauritius Meteorological Service issued a Class 3 cyclone warning.

Air Mauritius announced that the country's international airport was shut on Wednesday after the alert.

According to the weather network, six ongoing cyclones are being tracked in the southern hemisphere, with the potential to make landfall in the coming days. They are: Alfred, Seru, Bianca, Honde and Garance, all making their way across the Indian Ocean, and Rae is churning through the Pacific Ocean.

Islands threatened by these storms include Reunion and Madagascar.

The Mauritius Meteorological Service issued a warning that Cyclone Garance was 390km from the Indian Ocean island as of 3pm GMT.

After a temporary closure of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport due to the cyclone warning Class 3 in force in Mauritius, Air Mauritius announced the cancellation of all flights until further notice. 

The airline will reschedule the flights as soon as the airport is operational, and weather conditions permit. 

SAA also cancelled its flights to and from Mauritius on Tuesday. 

Flight Centre said it had 249 travellers scheduled to fly between SA and Mauritius in the next two weeks. 

“Our team has the latest relevant information to assist customers. Airlines, including Air Mauritius, SAA and FlySafair, have provided rebooking options. Flight Centre will assist affected passengers. The airport is now closed until further notice,” said Lynette Machiri at Flight Centre SA.

Machiri said the situation is fluid due to the changing nature of weather. 

“We will continue to monitor updates issued by Mauritius and relevant suppliers as we manage the situation. Some hotels have assisted with an extension of stay for customers stuck in Mauritius, for example Beachcomber.”

“Alternatively, travellers who need to extend or rebook their accommodation and are struggling should speak to their travel adviser. If they have travel insurance in place, they could potentially claim for costs incurred,” she said.

Where possible, Machiri said, hotels are assisting with rebooking options, extensions and postponements in line with their rebooking policies.

“Yes, our preferred suppliers have a weather conditions benefit, which covers the cost of additional accommodation should you be stranded in Mauritius due to flight cancellations. The benefit limit ranges between R10,000 and R15,000.

“We recommend that any South Africans in Mauritius follow local guidance to ensure their safety. They must also contact either their travel agent or airline for assistance with affected bookings,” Machiri said.

The CEO of the Association of Southern African Travel Agents (Asata), Otto de Vries, said the temporary closure of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport had created disappointment and uncertainty for South Africans travelling to and from Mauritius.

“Air Mauritius has confirmed that passengers can change their travel dates at no cost for travel until March 31, while SAA is offering reaccommodation on its own flights or partner airlines like FlySafair where possible,” he said.

De Vries said navigating airline policies, rebooking conditions, and long wait times for assistance can be overwhelming when travel plans are disrupted.

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