Ethiopian Airlines Resumes Daily Flights to Tigray

Ethiopia’s flagship carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, has announced it would start operating daily flights from Wednesday and increase the number of daily flights depending on demand.

The announced resumption of flights comes just a day after Ethiopian officials arrived in Tigray’s capital Mekelle for the first time in nearly two years for implementation of a November peace deal.
Ethiopian Airlines halted flights to the region weeks after the war broke out in November 2020 between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

The head of the airline Mesfin Tasew said in a statement that the resumption of flights would help families connect as well as facilitate business and tourism.
On Monday, the speaker of Ethiopia’s parliament Tagesse Chaffo Dullo led the delegation, which included a security advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, leaders of state companies, and members of Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission.

Additionally, National Security Advisor Redwan Hussein tweeted Tuesday that Ethio Telecom, which was part of the delegation, was expected to announce further resumption of services to Tigray.
The delegation’s visit to Tigray was welcomed by a Tigrayan spokesman as a milestone in the peace agreement to end the war.

Mediators from Kenya and the African Union are also expected to visit Tigray after Ethiopia and the TPLF agreed last week in Nairobi to a joint monitoring team.
Ethiopia has gradually lifted a blockade on much needed food and medical aid to Tigray and already restored some telecommunications.

Ethiopian federal and Tigrayan officials signed the African Union-brokered peace deal in South Africa on November 2, agreeing for hostilities to end, rebel groups to disarm, foreign fighters to leave, and blocked aid and other services to be restored.

Right now, the two parties are strategizing how the Eritrean soldiers would be eliminated from the region which have been accused of atrocities, looting, kidnapping and other human rights abuses.