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The Somali Civil Aviation Authority has sent stern warnings to FlyDubai and EthiopianAirlines after they took actions that undermine the sovereignty of Somalia.
The Authority has ordered both the carriers to amend their mistakes by no later than August 24, 2024. If not, all their flights to Somalia will be suspended.
In two separate statements issued on Wednesday, SCAA raised significant concerns regarding Ethiopian Airlines and its flight operations within Somalia, particularly highlighting issues related to the violation of Somalia’s sovereignty.
Somali Civil Aviation Authority has warned Ethiopian Airlines and Flydubai, stating that unless they remove mentions of "Somaliland" from their websites, they would face a ban from flying in the country's airspace.
Ethiopian Airlines, the major African carrier, operates flights to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, as well as to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, and four other major Somali cities.
The Somali Civil Aviation Authority has reported that Ethiopian Airlines has not addressed previous complaints related to “sovereignty issues” and is currently “removing Somali destinations from its listings, retaining only airport codes.”
Sources say, SCAA had earlier sent a formal letter to Ethiopian Airlines outlining their concerns about the airline’s approach to operating flights to Somali destinations.
SCAA has claimed that instead of addressing the sovereignty issues, Ethiopian Airlines changed its flight information by removing the names of Somali destinations and replacing them with airport codes only, that has further 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.
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The SCAA has also issued a warning to Ethiopian Airlines and Flydubai yesterday, instructing them to remove all references to "Somaliland" from their websites. Failure to comply with this directive will result in a ban on their flights within the airspace of Somalia.
It's to be noted that UAE state-owned FlyDubai suspended flights to Mogadishu from 11 June this year citing 'operational reasons', which sources say, was due to security concerns.
However, failure to respond to the authority’s notice by August 24 will result in the “immediate cancellation of Flydubai’s operating license in Somalia.”
FlyDubai had started flying to Mogadishu Aden Abdulle International Airport of Somalia back in March 09, 2023, establishing a direct connection between Mogadishu and Dubia.
Later, in August 2023, major airlines, including Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Fly Dubai, have suspended their flights to Mogadishu after the police attacked General Shegow Ahmed's militia.
In another development, the Civil Aviation Authority of Eritrea’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has also announced the suspension of Ethiopian Airlines flights.
This suspension will be effective from September 30, 2024, according to a government newspaper called “Hadas Eritrea” and later confirmed by Ethiopian Airlines.
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