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Ethiopian Airlines has ceased operations within Somalia’s airspace, a route previously integral to its flights to Asian destinations. The decision, as revealed by CEO Mesfen Tase in an interview with BBC Amharic, stems from the airline’s concerns over the safety of air traffic services provided by Somalia.
The shift in operational strategy follows an incident on Saturday, February 24, 2024, which CEO Tase highlighted as a significant factor influencing the airline’s decision to seek alternative routes. Despite reporting the incident to both Somali and Ethiopian civil aviation authorities, Ethiopian Airlines has yet to receive a response.
CEO Tase underscored the incident as a pivotal moment, deeming the air traffic control services in Somalia’s airspace unreliable. Consequently, the airline adopted alternative routes starting Sunday, February 17, 2016, to ensure passenger safety. Tase emphasized that the primary motive for this change was the lack of dependable air traffic services in the region.
In the interim, Ethiopian Airlines has rerouted its Asia-bound flights through Djibouti’s airspace. This adjustment, according to Tase, has been implemented without incurring additional costs for the airline. Moreover, Ethiopian Airlines continues to operate flights to Mogadishu and Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, without any disruptions.
An incident involving Flight 602, en route from Addis Ababa to Dubai, further exemplified the concerns regarding air traffic safety. The flight encountered a potentially hazardous situation when a Qatar Airways aircraft, with permission from Mogadishu air traffic controllers, ascended to an altitude that brought it within 23 kilometers of the Ethiopian Airlines plane.
This close proximity prompted the Somaliland Aviation and Airports Authority to criticize the situation as dangerously close to a collision, accusing Somali air traffic controllers of providing misleading information. In contrast, the Somali Aviation Authority refuted these claims, asserting that the distance between the two aircraft was not perilous.
The series of events underscores Ethiopian Airlines’ commitment to passenger safety and the challenges of navigating complex airspace safety concerns in the region.
I am flabbergasted to realize now that EAL has been using flight control folks in Somalia. My goodness, I’m stunned. It is even more precarious now with all this animosity going on between the two countries. All it needs is the decision one air traffic controller for a major disaster. This incidence with the Qatari Airlines jetliner was just too close for comfort. How many passengers were in those two airplanes? 300, 400, 500? O my goodness!!! Every one of those passengers in those two planes should consider himself/herself reborn.