Passengers were stranded when the international airport on the Caribbean island of Martinique was forced to close due to unrest over the cost of living in the French territory.
On Thursday, dozens of protesters stormed the runway at the airport in the capital Fort-de-France, forcing the airport to close. Domestic flights are diverted to nearby Guadeloupe, also a French territory. The airport reopened on Friday.
A curfew has been imposed until at least Monday following a wave of violent protests.
Authorities have banned public gatherings as well as the purchase of items that could be used in arson attacks.
The protests began in September to demand an alignment of local food prices with those in mainland France, where they are 40% lower. One protester was shot dead and 26 police officers were injured in the unrest.
A curfew has been in place on the island since then, and in late September the French government sent in riot police after protesters ignored a ban on public gatherings.
AFP news agency said unrest flared up again on Monday when police tried to remove a roadblock.
In recent days, burn barricades have been erected, businesses looted and vehicles burned in many parts of the island.
AFPAFP said one of the 26 injured officers had a bullet wound. A man died in hospital from similar injuries on Thursday, after a night of rioting. An investigation has been launched into his death.
Local authorities said police did not open fire.
French Foreign Minister François-Noël Buffet condemned the violence and called for “responsibility and calm”.
Clement LanotResidents of France’s overseas territories have long complained about the high cost of living.
The protests in Martinique were launched by the Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Natural Resources Defense Council, which says food prices should be on par with those in mainland France.
On Tuesday, Fort-de-France Mayor Didier Laguerre acknowledged that people in Martinique – a territory of 350,000 people – were struggling: “I understand the suffering and the anger.”
