ASMARA, Eritrea – Ethiopian Airlines has confirmed having received a notice from the Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority indicating the suspension of all Ethiopian Airlines flights to Eritrea.
In a statement posted on Ethiopian Airlines official X account, the airline said that it had received the communication through a letter dated July 21, 2024.
The suspension is set to take effect on September 30, 2024.
“The specific reasons for this suspension have not been disclosed to us,” the statement reads in part.
Ethiopian Airlines further disclosed that it was seeking clarification from the Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority and is committed to resolving any issues amicably and promptly.
“We appreciate your understanding and patience during this time and will provide further updates as more information becomes available,” the airline posted.
Y News understands that Ethiopian Airlines currently operates five flights a week to Asmara. In addition to Ethiopian Airlines, Saudi Arabian, Turkish, and Egyptian airlines have regular flights to Asmara.
Following a recent visit by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to Italy, an agreement was reached for Italian Airlines to start flights to Eritrea.
Air travel between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which was interrupted for two decades due to the bloody border war, resumed in July 2010.
After Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power, flights between Asmara and Addis Ababa, which had been in a state of neither war nor peace, were resumed.
The leaders of the two countries signed an agreement called the “Asmara Declaration,” which allowed the continuation of land transport, trade, and communication services that had been suspended alongside air travel.
Currently, all border gates between the two neighboring countries are closed, but communication services remain open.
Diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have been restored following the end of the civil war in northern Ethiopia.
It is should not go without mentioning that the Eritrean government sided with the federal government during the conflict in the north and attacked the forces of Tigray.
