Moment flights detour as Olympics no-fly zone opens up over Paris

A no-fly exclusion zone was visible around Paris on Friday, 26 July, as the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony took place.

All three Paris airports will be closed as a no-fly zone the size of Belgium was imposed across northern France during the event’s curtain-raiser.

Almost all planes were banned from a circle with a radius of 80 nautical miles centred on Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from 6.30pm to midnight, local time.

Only flights by military, customs, police, gendarmerie, civil security or emergency aircraft were be allowed in the area, along with aircraft in charge of filming for the 2024 Olympic Games and flights carrying dignitaries accredited by the French foreign ministry.