Eritrean authorities have halted all flights by Ethiopian Airlines to the East African nation, to be made effective September 30, according to the airline on Wednesday.
Recall that flights from Ethiopia to Eritrea had restarted in 2018 after a 20 year spell, following a peace deal brokered between the two neighbours that earned Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed a Nobel peace prize a year later.
Given that the state-owned Ethiopian Airlines is ranked by the global industry body IATA (International Air Transport Association) as the largest in Africa by revenue and profit by the global industry body, this is a significant development.
What They’re Saying
Eritrean airline had released a statement on its official Facebook page saying,
“Ethiopian Airlines has received a notice from the Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority through a letter… indicating the suspension of all Ethiopian Airlines flights to Eritrea, effective September 30, 2024.”
“The specific reasons for this suspension have not been disclosed to us,” it finished.
Meanwhile, Hanna Atnafu, a spokesperson for the airline, had told newsmen that the flight suspension had come as a surprise.
“What is shocking and saddening to our airlines was just 15 days ago, on July 8, there was a letter sent to (us) requesting, to increase our weekly flight frequency from 10 flights to 15,” Hanna had bemoaned.
