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A chartered Ethiopian Airways flight destined for Hargeisa, seat of the Somaliland authorities, was pressured to show again with out touchdown immediately as tensions between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa proceed to mount.
Industrial flights from Ethiopia to Somalia and Somaliland, nevertheless, are working often, Mesfin Tassew, CEO of the Ethiopian Airways Group, informed The Reporter.
“Chartered flights mainly need to get approval each time [they fly],” Mesfin stated. “They denied approval for an Ethiopian chartered flight immediately, however common flights continued unhindered.”
The plane pressured to show again by Somali authorities immediately was reportedly carrying senior Ethiopian officers. Flightradar24, a real-time monitoring utility, additionally confirms flight ET372 turned again from Hargeisa after departing Addis, however doesn’t point out that the airplane landed.
Sources on the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority disclosed to The Reporter there are causes to imagine that Somali authorities are contemplating closing the nation’s airspace to Ethiopian plane.
“The gasoline prices will rise if Ethiopian flights have to make use of various routes to Asia and the Center East,” stated the supply.
The aviation incident follows fierce disapproval from Mogadishu over a land lease deal signed between Ethiopia and breakaway Somaliland. Prime Ethiopian officers are reportedly anticipated to go to Hargeisa over the approaching week.
Selamawit Mengesha and Nardos Yoseph contributed to this story.
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