Mauritius was forced to close its airport today ahead of a major tropical cyclone warning.

Air Mauritius confirmed the cancellation of at least 18 inbound flights, including from Heathrow between Sunday and Tuesday.

The Foreign Office issued a travel alert as tropical cyclone Freddy developed close to Indian Ocean island.  

The advisory said: “Tropical cyclone Freddy is evolving to the east-north-east of Mauritius. You should remain vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities.”

“A cyclone warning class III is in force in Mauritius.

“Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate in the early afternoon of Monday 20 February.

“Following the cyclone warning class III, SSR [Sir Seewoosagur Remgoolam] international airport is temporarily closed as from 07.10hrs local time on Monday 20 February. Passengers should contact their airline for further information.”

Air Mauritius said flights had been cancelled over three days from Sunday due to the “sustained approach of intense tropical cyclone Freddy in our region”.

The airline added: “Air Mauritius is closely monitoring the situation with the authorities and will keep passengers informed of developments through its call centre, on its website at airmauritius.com and through regular communiques. Air Mauritius regrets any inconvenience caused.”