The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) has raised significant concerns regarding Ethiopian Airlines and its flight operations within Somalia, particularly highlighting issues related to the violation of Somalia’s sovereignty.
On August 14, 2024, the SCAA sent a formal letter to Ethiopian Airlines outlining their concerns about the airline’s approach to operating flights to Somali destinations. This letter was the result of ongoing discussions between SCAA officials and Ethiopian Airlines representatives in both Mogadishu and Addis Ababa, with the involvement of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.
Rather than addressing the sovereignty issues directly, Ethiopian Airlines altered its flight information by removing the names of Somali destinations and replacing them with airport codes. While this might appear to be a minor adjustment, it has only intensified the original concerns.
In addition, the SCAA has been receiving numerous complaints from Somali travelers about their experiences with Ethiopian Airlines. These complaints highlight a disconnect between the airline’s practices and the expectations of Somali passengers, particularly regarding respect for their national identity.
The SCAA has issued a firm deadline to Ethiopian Airlines, stating that if the issues are not resolved by August 23, 2024, all Ethiopian Airlines flights to Somalia will be suspended indefinitely. The authority emphasized that this suspension would occur without any further notice.
In a related development, the Civil Aviation Authority of Eritrea’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has also announced the suspension of Ethiopian Airlines flights. This suspension, effective from September 30, 2024, was announced today in the government newspaper “Hadas Eritrea” and later confirmed by Ethiopian Airlines.
The Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority grounded the airline due to what it described as “organized and systematic” abuse of Eritrean passengers. The airline was accused of engaging in improper procedures, including the theft of passengers’ luggage, frequent flight and baggage delays, and a failure to compensate passengers. Additionally, the authority cited an unreasonable increase in ticket prices as another reason for the suspension.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Eritrea stated, “Repeated reminders given to Ethiopian Airlines to resolve the above-mentioned problems did not yield results, and from September 30, 2024, Ethiopian Airlines flights to Eritrea have been suspended.”
