Ethiopian Airlines, the state-owned carrier of Ethiopia and Africa’s largest airline by revenue, has announced the suspension of all flights to neighboring Eritrea, citing “very difficult operating conditions” in the country.
In a statement issued on Monday, Ethiopian Airlines expressed regret over the flight suspension, assuring affected passengers that efforts would be made to rebook them on alternative carriers or provide refunds. Eritrean officials, including Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel, have yet to comment on the situation
The suspension, which took effect on September 3, comes after Eritrea indicated its intention to halt all Ethiopian Airlines flights by the end of the month.
Flights between the two nations had resumed in 2018 after two decades of severed ties, following a historic peace agreement that restored diplomatic relations.
This breakthrough earned Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. However, diplomatic relations between Asmara and Addis Ababa have recently soured, according to five diplomats who spoke with Reuters, though they downplayed the likelihood of a renewed conflict.
The friction between the two nations has been exacerbated by Eritrea’s exclusion from the peace talks that concluded Ethiopia’s internal conflict in the Tigray region, where Eritrean troops had been involved on Ethiopia’s side. Despite the peace deal, Eritrean forces remain in Tigray, further straining relations.
