- Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to three cities in Tigray after forces took control of Mekelle airport.
- The airline halted service to Mekelle, Axum and Shire on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
- Witnesses reported armed fighters at the airport but no gunfire nearby; officials made competing claims about wider military activity.
Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, after Tigrayan forces took control of the airport in Mekelle from federal police. The takeover was reported overnight or Wednesday morning.
The airline cited “the current situation in the Tigray region” and apologized to customers. It said it would provide an update when flights resume.
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“We sincerely apologise to our valued customers for any inconvenience caused by this suspension. We will inform you once flight operations resume.”
Flightradar24 showed a Mekelle–Addis Ababa flight cancelled Wednesday morning. The airport, Alula Aba Nega, serves Tigray’s capital and is the region’s main airport.
Officials describe an airport seizure amid wider military claims
Tigray’s regional government said its forces had entered a “defensive war” after federal forces attacked Tigray on Tuesday with drones and heavy artillery. The government said its troops had been told to respond.
“the Tigray army has been instructed to counter the attack and genocidal invasion launched against us, and has entered into a defensive battle.”
Getachew Reda, a cabinet minister and adviser to Ethiopia’s prime minister, described a broader military campaign. He said Tigrayan fighters had taken control of federally administered airports in Tigray and launched offensives in Afar and Amhara.
Reda also wrote that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front had seized federally controlled airports and begun an “all-out offensive” against government positions in Afar and Amhara. The regional government’s account framed its forces’ actions as a response to the reported federal attack.
Airport workers and a driver reported no gunfire
Local witnesses described armed fighters at the airport, but said they heard no gunfire there or nearby. They reported that the fighters carried light arms.
A taxi driver said a commander told him to leave, warning that “no flights would be landing.” An airport employee described receiving word through a supervisor.
“our supervisor called the driver and told him that the airport had been taken over by Tigray forces”
The employee said staff were sent home because flights had stopped. These accounts concern what workers and a driver saw at the airfield; they do not establish what happened elsewhere in the region.
The federal government and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s spokespeople made no immediate public comment on the takeover. The competing claims about the airport and the wider military activity came from regional officials, Getachew Reda and local witnesses.
The takeover follows renewed tensions after the 2020–2022 war
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front fought Ethiopia’s federal government in the 2020–2022 civil war. Tensions later flared again after a peace deal. The research also records an earlier suspension of flights to Tigray in January amid renewed military activity.
The latest seizure followed the TPLF’s announcement of an alliance with six other armed groups seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The suspension now covers flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire; the airline said it would tell customers when operations resume.
