Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to three airports in the Tigray region following reports that Tigrayan forces seized control of Mekelle Airport, the regional capital’s main airport.
The airline announced on Wednesday that flights to Mekelle, Shire, and Axum airports had been suspended, citing the “current situation in the Tigray region.”
Ethiopian Airlines did not specify how long the suspension would remain in effect or when services to the three airports would resume.
Two local sources told Reuters that Tigrayan forces took control of Mekelle Airport overnight, removing federal police from the facility.
The sources provided no further details on how the airport was seized or the situation that followed the reported takeover.
The development comes amid renewed tensions in Tigray, which was the scene of a major conflict between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan forces from 2020 to 2022. The fighting ended with the Pretoria Agreement, which established a framework for ending hostilities.
The latest escalation follows the announcement on Sunday by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of an alliance with six other armed groups from across Ethiopia. The groups said they sought to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
The Ethiopian federal government has not yet commented on the reported seizure of Mekelle Airport or Ethiopian Airlines’ decision to suspend flights to the three airports.
The suspension could further disrupt civilian travel and commercial activity in Tigray as uncertainty over the security situation in the region grows.
