Eritrea has suspended Ethiopian Airlines from its airspace starting September 30, 2024, citing “passenger mistreatment and operational problems.”
The Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority reported several issues, including luggage theft, frequent delays in flights and baggage, and insufficient compensation for affected passengers. They have advised travelers with bookings beyond the suspension date to seek alternative arrangements.
Ethiopian Airlines currently operates five flights per week to Asmara, alongside services from Saudi Arabian, Turkish, and Egyptian carriers.
Asmara claimed that despite numerous requests for resolution, Ethiopian Airlines did not address these concerns.
“Repeated and persistent requests for Ethiopian Airlines to rectify these issues and other irregularities affecting passengers have been ignored,” stated the Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority.
“Given this situation, all Ethiopian travelers heading to Eritrea are advised to reschedule their flights and explore alternative options as needed.”
The airline refuted the allegations and has requested that the Eritrean authorities clarify their statement.
“Ethiopian Airlines has received notification from the Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority via a letter, indicating that all Ethiopian Airlines flights to Eritrea will be suspended starting September 30, 2024,” the airline stated.
“The specific reasons for this suspension have not been disclosed to us.”
This decision, announced in the government newspaper “Hadas Eritrea,” follows reports of escalating tensions between the two Horn of Africa neighbors.
Recently, Ethiopian Airlines has been in the spotlight for negative reasons, including a social media video showing a passenger being removed from a flight after her seat was reportedly reassigned to a government minister.
The airline’s management denied any wrongdoing but stated that they had taken “the necessary time to thoroughly investigate the matter and provide accurate information to the public.”
However, they did acknowledge that flight ET308 to Nairobi was overbooked.
“The flight experienced overbooking… Three individuals with standby economy class boarding passes arrived at the gate just minutes before departure,” the airline explained, noting that these passengers were rebooked on the next available flight.
Last week, Ethiopian Airlines announced that tickets for passengers outside Ethiopia must now be purchased in US dollars, which poses a significant challenge for Eritrean travelers who previously used their local currency.
Flights between Ethiopia and Eritrea resumed in 2018 after a two-decade hiatus, following a peace agreement between the two nations that earned Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed a Nobel Peace Prize the following year.
The 2018 peace agreement marked a major diplomatic breakthrough, allowing for the resumption of land transport, trade, and communication services, all of which had been disrupted by the conflict.
However, recent tensions highlight ongoing issues as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed seeks a sea route for Ethiopia. Last October, Dr. Abiy argued that Ethiopia’s need for sea access was historically justified and essential due to the economic, demographic, and security challenges imposed by its landlocked status on its 120-million-strong population.
While he downplayed the use of force, he warned the parliament in November that failure to resolve the issue through negotiations might lead to conflict.
Eritrea, given its long history of conflict with Ethiopia, took these remarks seriously. From 1952 to 1993, Eritrea and its Red Sea ports were part of Ethiopia, and Eritrea gained its independence only after a bloody struggle.
Some Ethiopian nationalists view Eritrea’s departure as a historic mistake.
Meanwhile, Abiy’s pursuit of a port has involved neighboring countries Djibouti and Somalia. Since the start of this year, tensions between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu have increased following Ethiopia’s January 1 memorandum with Somaliland, the separatist federal state, regarding the use of its seaports.
