Marseille Airport forced to close after wildfires and smoke encroach airfield boundary

A fast-moving wildfire fanned by winds and extreme temperatures forced the closure of the main airport in Marseille in southern France on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. With the airport ceasing all operations due to smoke and fire encroaching the airport boundary, dozens of flights were cancelled or diverted, with thousands of passengers being affected by the resulting disruption.

The wildfire had continued to spread across southern France following a week of ultra-high temperatures in the region. By midday on July 8, 2025, the city’s mayor, Benoit Payan, warned that the fire was approaching the “gates of Marseille”, subsequently prompting the closure of the city’s main Marseille-Provence Airport (MRS) and the cancellation of numerous flights. The mayor’s warnings also extended to advising local residents to stay indoors and keep local roads clear for emergency services.

According to local reports, the wildfire, the cause of which remains under investigation, had burned through 700 hectares of woodland (1,730 acres), and a forecast of strong winds in the area was making firefighting activities difficult. The blaze, fanned by winds of up to 43 miles (70km) per hour, caused thick smoke to engulf several suburbs of the city and drift over the coastline of France’s second-largest conurbation.

A wildfire in southern France forced Marseille airport to close and interrupted train traffic as the blaze spread rapidly to the edges of the southern French city.Several forest fires have raged in recent days in southern France, fanning out at speed due to wind and parched… pic.twitter.com/I282WOAWDT— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 9, 2025 “At this stage, populations must remain confined to residential areas,” the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur prefecture posted on X. “Close shutters and doors, keep your property clear for emergency services, and do not travel on the road.”

Local media reports said that Marseille-Provence Airport had shut down around midday with no flights being permitted to land or take off. Flights that were already airborne and heading to Marseille were diverted to other airports in the region, such as Nice-Côte D’Azur Airport (NCE) and Nîmes-Grande Provence Méditerranée Airport (FNI). Trains in the area were also affected by the fire, with local and national mainline rail services suspending services from midday on July 8, 2025

By the morning of Wednesday, July 9, 2025, it appeared that the fire’s intensity had decreased, leading to the reopening of thr airport. Data analyzed by Aerotime from the aviation tracking website Flightradar24 indicated that the majority of flights were departing on time, although a small number were still affected by knock-on delays from the closure of the airport the previous day.

bellena / ShutterstockFire dies down, risk remains

According to a report published by Reuters, the wildfire had lost intensity overnight, though firefighters continued to battle the smouldering blaze the following day on the ground and from the air, warning that it could flare up again. Officials told residents they were no longer in lockdown, though some who were evacuated were likely to find their homes in ashes. Ten houses were completely destroyed and dozens damaged, they said, though no fatalities were reported. “The fire is clearly receding, it is no longer advancing,” Marseille firefighting chief Lionel Mathieu said.

France:A huge fire rages in Marseille, the airport is closed and police are asking residents to stay home. pic.twitter.com/TwckaROpzQ— shoko 007 (@SYaacobi) July 8, 2025 The airport is advising that some delays may result due to the airport being a focal point for aerial firefighting operations. The wildfire reportedly was started by a vehicle that caught fire on the A552 motorway, which spread out of control quickly due to the winds affecting the area at the time.

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