The Difficulty of Traveling as a Tigrian in Ethiopia

By Mehret Okubay

Earlier this morning, I was turned back from Alula Internationa Airport in Mekelle by an Ethiopian Airlines employee that said the government had issued a ban prohibiting ‘young’ people from boarding commercial flights out of Tigray, unless that person carried papers with them that indicated that they were seeking medical treatment in Addis Abeba, had a round trip ticket, or were accompanying children or the elderly.

The restriction on movement for Tigrians doesn’t end here, Ethiopian Airlines flights are exhuberantly cost, I paid 7,165 ETB ($135) for my one way economical class ticket to Addis Abeba, the ticket was purchased over a week ahead of the date of departure, another passenger at the airport said he purchased the ticket for more than 8,000 ETB ($150). While an Ethiopian travelling to Tigray in May or June of 2021 would have most likely purchased a ticket for something between 3,000 to 4,500 ETB. Its important to note that ticket prices change every hour or even every minute, and one imagines that devaluation and fuel prices will contribute to a hike in prices, but a near 100 percent increase is unwarranted. And especially when imposed on a people that have been impoverished to a point of absolute collapse, not to mention that, milking money out of families who have spent years apart and would literally pay anything to see their loved ones again is beyond repulsive.

But the costs don’t end there; fuel is still unavailable in Mekelle, so passengers making their way to the airport in the outskirts of the regional capital have to pay atleast four folds of what would have been considered usual, it’s important to remember here that banking services are still unavailable. And all this, just to be turned back at the airport.

Many of the passengers, including myself, suffer from varying illnesses, others travelled for business, one passenger hadn’t seen his children and spouse for more than two years, the youngest of his two children was just months old when he saw him last. The disappointment on his face as he realised their reunion would once again be delayed was heartbreaking.

Another unusual and strange phenomenon at the airport was that there were just as many passengers as there were people looking for their luggage. Apparently, many of the passengers that traveled from Addis Abeba to Mekelle on Thursday were told to expect their luggage on Sunday. Many stood outside the airport hoping to hear word of when their luggage may arrive.