France Airports Evacuated As Terror Threats Increase Ahead Of England Vs South Africa Rugby Semis

Travellers heading to France in the coming days have been warned about the dire situation in the country after a series of threats led to the evacuation of airports and tourist attractions.

This comes just a few days before thousands of British people will travel to France for England's big semi-final against South Africa in the ongoing Rugby World Cup. France has doubled their security measures to keep their visitors safe as they have positioned around 7,000 soldiers on the streets.

The threat level in France went up after a teacher was stabbed to death by a knifeman earlier in the week who shouted "Allahu Akbar".

In their latest travel advisory for people going abroad, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has warned that there is currently a high threat of terrorist attacks across the globe affecting UK interests and British nationals and has urged them to be vigilant at all times.

"Following a fatal attack in Arras, northern France on 13 October 2023, France has raised its national threat level to the highest level ('Emergency Attack Level').

"This threat level is described as 'maximum vigilance and protection in the event of an imminent threat of a terrorist act or in the immediate aftermath of an attack'," the FCDO wrote in its advisory.

Ten airports were evacuated across France on Wednesday, following a series of bomb threats. The airports in Lille, Lyon, Nice, Nantes, Paris Beauvais, Tillé and Toulouse were all forced to close.

It is understood that airports in Lille, Nice, Lyon and Toulouse received phone threats "at around 10 am on Wednesday and acted upon", according to news reports. Soon after that, travellers were asked to evacuate terminals, while bomb disposal experts supported by sniffer dogs looked for explosives.

Even the Palace of Versailles received similar threats that saw the evacuation of the tourist spot. The palace, which receives around 15,000 visitors on a daily basis, eventually reopened and the security cordon was lifted.

Paris' famous Louvre Museum was also vacated after a threatening message last Saturday.

Will I get a refund for cancelling a France holiday?

Even though France has raised their threat level to the highest, the UK government has not advised against travelling to the Western European country. Unless the UK government suspends travel against France, a traveller will not get a refund or be covered by travel insurance on cancelling their holiday right now.

Europe is currently on high terror alert following recent deadly attacks in Belgium and France.