Somalia warns Ethiopian Airlines over 'sovereignty violations'

The Somali government threatened to suspend Ethiopian Airlines flights to Somalia unless concerns over "violations of Somali sovereignty" related to destinations served by Ethiopian Airlines are resolved.

In a statement, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) said it had previous correspondence dating to August 14 with Ethiopian Airlines about the issue. It did not provide details, but many observers in the region say they believe it refers to the airlines' flights to Hargeisa, Somaliland.

"It has come to our attention that, instead of addressing the sovereignty issues outlined in our letter, Ethiopian Airlines has made adjustments to its flight operations by removing references to Somali destinations and retaining only airport codes," the statement said.

The SCAA also said it has received an "increasing number of complaints" from the Somali public regarding their travel experiences with Ethiopian Airlines.

"If these issues are not resolved by 23rd August, 2024, the SCAA will have no choice but to suspend all Ethiopian Airlines flights to Somalia, effective from that date. This would result in the cessation of Ethiopian Airlines services flights to Somalia."

The SCAA said it will not provide any warning about future steps.

VOA's Horn of Africa Service contacted Ethiopian Airlines officials who have not yet responded to requests for comment. But the director of the Ethiopian civil aviation authority, Getachew Mengiste, tells VOA that officials are aware of the issue, though they have not yet received any official letter from the SCAA.

Mengiste said they will discuss the issue, investigate the cause and respond to it in the future.

Ethiopian Airlines has been flying to Somaliland for many years. In January of this year, Ethiopia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Somaliland, which officials in Hargeisa said will give them recognition in return for leasing 20 kilometers of seafront to Ethiopia in a deal that angered Somalia, which considered it a violation of its sovereignty and territorial unity.

The SCAA sent a similar warning to the United Arab Emirates-based airline, Fly Dubai, citing "serious violations committed by Fly Dubai regarding the representation of destinations served to/from Somalia in your official website, ticket booking platform, and mobile application."

"These representations blatantly disregard the sovereignty of the Federal Government of Somalia and are unacceptable," the statement said.

Somalia asked Fly Dubai to give an "accurate representation of destinations."

"All destinations to/from Somalia operated by Fly Dubai must clearly and correctly reference the name of the destination along with Somalia on both your official website and mobile application used for ticketing and booking services," it said, adding, "This must be corrected no later than August 24, 2024."

Somalia threatened to revoke Fly Dubai's operating permit within Somalia if the directive is not implemented. "This decision will be enforced without further notice."

VOA contacted Fly Dubai but has not received a reply about the Somalia aviation statement.