Honeymoon hotspot hit by cyclone
All flights to and from Mauritius have been cancelled due to a tropical cyclone which has hit the honeymoon hotspot.
The international airport closed at 3am yesterday, and all flights have been cancelled until tomorrow morning. Among those flights cancelled yesterday was British Airways’ afternoon departure from Gatwick.
BA said: “We have sent messages to affected customers and will operate the flights to and from Mauritius once the cyclone has passed through the area.
“We are sorry for the delays to customers’ travel plans and have offered them a flexible rebooking policy.”
Tropical cyclone Berguitta was expected to reach Mauritius and neighboring La Reunion island overnight, bringing winds of of up 80mph and heavy rainfall. Already yesterday afternoon, when the storm was still several hundred miles off the coast, locals reported fallen trees and flooding.
Authorities have raised the warning class to a level 3 cyclone and warned residents to take all precautions.
Kuoni said its local reps were looking after guests in Mauritius. “They are also providing our operations team in head office with daily weather reports and updates,” added a spokeswoman.
“There has been flight delays and some cancellations due to the airport closure and our operations team has been proactively calling all customers who are due to travel up to January 21 to inform them of the situation and assist with any amendments in line with hotel and airline policies.”
Thomas Cook said it had contacted the small number of customers it has in Mauritius and will stay in touch with them as the cyclone passes.
“We are monitoring the situation,” added a Thomas Cook spokeswoman.
The Red Cross has put both Mauritius and Reunion on high alert and activated its disaster response. The last major cyclone to hit Mauritius was in 1994 and it killed two people.
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Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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