Ethiopian Airlines has restored flights to Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, reopening a key passenger link 18 days after an airport seizure interrupted scheduled services to the northern Ethiopian region.
- Ethiopian Airlines resumed commercial flights between Addis Ababa and Mekelle on 11 October.
- The route reopened 18 days after services were suspended following an airport seizure.
- Passengers on the first flight described being stranded and separated from their families.
- The reopening does not confirm that services to Axum and Shire have also resumed.
Commercial flights between Addis Ababa and Mekelle resumed on 11 October, following the return of federal forces and their allies to the city and its airport.
The airline suspended services to Mekelle, Axum and Shire on 23 September as security conditions deteriorated in Tigray. The latest development confirms the reopening of the Mekelle route.
Passengers arriving at Alula Aba Nega International Airport included people who had been unable to return home during the interruption, along with travellers seeking to resume work and reunite with relatives.
According to the Ethiopian News Agency’s report from the airport, passengers travelled on the first resumed service on 11 October. Dated airport imagery distributed through Reuters Connect also shows passengers disembarking that day.
A route reopening after military upheaval
The return of flights follows a period in which the Tigray People’s Liberation Front took control of Mekelle’s airport before federal forces and allied fighters returned to the regional capital.
The airport’s changing control turned the military confrontation into a direct disruption for passengers and businesses. Restoring the scheduled link reconnects Mekelle with Addis Ababa, where Ethiopian Airlines operates its main domestic and international hub.
However, a resumed flight does not establish that the wider security crisis has ended. Ethiopia and Eritrea have exchanged accusations over military activity in northern Ethiopia, while the federal government’s confrontation with Tigrayan armed groups continues.
Travellers can again reach Mekelle through the airline’s scheduled network.
Passengers return after nearly three weeks
ENA interviewed passengers who described the interruption’s effects on family visits, work and access to supplies.
Ashenafi Solomon, who travelled on the first flight, said he had been unable to return to Mekelle during the suspension.
“We are going to meet our relatives and resume our work,” another passenger, Natnael Solomon, told the agency.
Their accounts show why the reopening matters beyond the airline’s timetable. It restores a transport option for residents whose movement had been disrupted by the conflict.
ENA says flights to Axum and Shire are expected to resume, but its report does not confirm that either service has restarted.