France reopens A63 highway as 84,000 wildfire evacuees return to the Bordeaux area

French civil-protection officials on Thursday, 30 July, authorised 84,000 evacuees to return to nine towns and villages around Bordeaux after firefighters stabilised the giant Gironde wildfire that had been burning for a week. The green-light allowed regional authorities to reopen the A63—the principal motorway between Bordeaux and the Spanish border—restoring a critical freight and holiday corridor just as France heads into its peak August getaway period. According to the Interior Ministry’s crisis centre, more than 1,200 firefighters, 11 aircraft and 350 vehicles remain deployed to secure the 8,200-hectare perimeter. While hotspots continue to smoulder, officials say current weather conditions—and a forecast drop in wind—make a large flare-up unlikely in the short term. The reopening of the A63 immediately eased pressure on detour routes that had added up to 90 minutes to cross-border trucking and coach journeys. Air-traffic managers in the Bordeaux Flight Information Region (FIR) simultaneously lifted most flow restrictions that had forced airlines to reroute services between Paris, Madrid and Lisbon. Air France, easyJet and Iberia have reinstated their normal schedules but are warning passengers to expect residual delays while flight plans are re-sequenced. Business-aviation operators using nearby Mérignac Airport report that short-notice slot requests are again being approved after three days of blanket refusals. Companies with expatriate staff in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region are being advised to update traveller-tracking databases and confirm duty-of-care arrangements now that employees may re-enter formerly evacuated zones. Insurers have reminded policy-holders that the state of natural disaster (catastrophe naturelle) remains in effect, streamlining claims for property damage and temporary accommodation costs. Although the immediate mobility crisis is easing, environmental experts caution that France has already lost a record 115,000 hectares to wildfires in 2026—triple the 10-year average—and that more evacuations cannot be ruled out if the forecast fourth heatwave materialises next week. Multinationals with operations in the southwest are therefore reviewing contingency plans, including advance ticket changes and remote-work options, to minimise disruption should transport links close again.