Ethiopian Airlines resumed commercial flights between Addis Ababa and Mekelle, restoring a key air link to Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region after nearly three weeks of disruption.
Footage released on Monday shows an aircraft landing and taxiing at Mekelle’s Alula Aba Nega International Airport, as passengers collect luggage and leave the terminal.
Passenger Ahenafi Tsegaye said the suspension had left him stranded while travelling for work.
“What we want is for this peace to be sustained because the people of Tigray have suffered greatly. Not only were flights suspended, but many other things were also disrupted. There is no fuel, there is no medicine, and everything is closed,” he said.
For others, the return of flights meant finally getting home.
“We are happy to reunite with our families and resume our work, and we feel great about all of this,” said another passenger.
Flights to Mekelle resumed on October 11 after being suspended on September 23 as renewed fighting swept through Tigray. Services to Axum and Shire remain suspended.
The latest tensions have renewed concerns over the Pretoria peace agreement, signed in November 2022 to end the two-year war between the federal government and the TPLF. The conflict killed hundreds of thousands of people. (Namibia Daily News / Viory)
