A strike at Ivory Coast's main international airport has halted takeoff and landing of almost all flights, airport managers said on July 29.

On July 29, air traffic controllers at Abidjan's Felix Houphouet Boigny airport began their strike in the afternoon, airport authority AERIA said.

"ASCENA (Agency for Airborne Security and Navigation in Africa) employees stopped work at 1 o'clock, and after that aircraft could no longer take off or land. AERIA therefore suspended some flights, except some of Air France and Air Ivoire," an AERIA spokesman told Reuters.

ASCENA management gave no explanation for the strike, while trade union officials could not immediately be reached.

"We have no further information today. We do not know whether flights will be suspended or not," the airport information service said, advising travellers to consult their airlines.

Abidjan, the main commercial city in the world's number one cocoa producer, was hit by a transport strike earlier this month as drivers protested against high fuel prices. Cocoa exports were not badly affected as the strike was staged during a seasonal lull.

Last week, an influential trade union in the West African country called for a general strike to start on July 31, in protest against the high cost of living.

Ivory Coast is due to hold elections in November. The polls are intended to draw a line under a war that has simmered since a 2002 coup attempt, but they have been delayed several times in recent years.