Ethiopian Airlines to Resume Flights to Tigray Capital This Sunday

2026-10-09 region

Mekelle, 9 October 2026
Ethiopian Airlines will resume flights to Mekelle this Sunday, 11 October, following a three-week suspension after federal forces regained control of the Tigray capital from rebel fighters.

Re-establishing a Vital Transport Corridor

The decision by the national carrier to resume scheduled operations to Mekelle represents a significant step towards restoring normal communication and transport links between the Tigray region and Ethiopia’s federal capital, Addis Ababa [1]. Ethiopian Airlines officially announced that booking services opened on Friday, 9 October 2026, allowing passengers to reserve tickets through local airline offices or via the carrier’s dedicated customer service hotline [1][2][3]. This resumption comes exactly eighteen days after flights were abruptly halted due to a sharp escalation in regional hostilities [1][4].

The Security Context Behind the Suspension

The temporary flight suspension, which commenced on 23 September 2026, affected key regional hubs including Mekelle, Shire, and Axum [1][4][5]. The shutdown was triggered by reports that forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had successfully seized control of local airports, prompting immediate safety interventions by the airline [1]. This offensive represented the most severe outbreak of fighting in the region since the conclusion of the 2020 to 2022 civil war [1]. While federal forces managed to regain control of Mekelle on Sunday, 4 October 2026, leading to a retreat of rebel forces, commercial flights to Shire and Axum remain indefinitely suspended as regional security continues to be highly volatile [1].

Direct Implications for Regional Refugees

For thousands of Ethiopian refugees residing in camps such as Kakuma and Kalobeyei in neighbouring Kenya, the status of air links to Tigray is of paramount importance [GPT]. These flights serve as a vital lifeline, allowing displaced populations to maintain contact with families left behind and to gather reliable information regarding security conditions on the ground [GPT]. The volatile security situation and the partial closure of airports in Shire and Axum present ongoing challenges for those assessing border safety and evaluating the feasibility of voluntary repatriation [1][GPT]. As the security landscape remains unpredictable, the reopening of the Mekelle corridor offers a localized window of connectivity, even as wider regional stability hangs in the balance [1][GPT].

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Tigray flights Ethiopian Airlines