Foreign nationals, especially Britons, were stranded in different parts of Africa after Niger coup leaders closed the country’s airspace on Sunday evening.

According to Daily Mail UK, many airlines were forced to divert aircraft when the country suddenly stopped all flights from flying over its airspace, citing the threat of a military intervention.

On Monday, over 500 British Airways passengers who were returning to the UK saw their flights diverted to Johannesburg, South Africa.

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When the planes conveying the affected passengers landed, some of them wandered aimlessly around the airport while some were in tears.

Another group of passengers had been on board a flight for six hours when their pilot was forced to make a U-turn, making them spend 26 hours at an airport terminal before taking another flight.

A handful of Virgin Atlantic flights have also been disrupted as a result of the closure.

One Virgin Atlantic flight from Johannesburg spent an additional three hours and 50 minutes before it could get to London, its destination, due to alternative routing and following a refuelling stop in Lagos, Nigeria.

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As a result of the closure, flights between Europe and Southern Africa are expected to travel extra 620 miles before they can get to their destination.

After the one-week ultimatum issued by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to Niger’s military junta elapsed on Sunday, the coup plotters closed the country’s airspace and accused foreign powers of preparing an attack.