Ethiopian Airlines would resume commercial flights to the war-torn Tigray region on Wednesday after almost 18 months, reported The Africa News.
The announcement comes just a day after an Ethiopian delegation made the first visit to the rebel-held region since the signing of a peace deal last month. The delegation was led by the speaker of Ethiopia’s parliament Tagesse Chaffo Dullo and included a security advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, leaders of state companies, and members of Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission.
The peace deal, which included promises to restore services, ended two years of fighting between the Ethiopian federal government and allies against the Tigrayan forces, which have killed thousands and displaced millions.
On Tuesday, the Ethiopian airline, Africa’s biggest carrier, said that it would operate daily flights from Addis Ababa to Mekele. It said that the schedule will increase in frequency depending on the demand.
“We are truly pleased with the resumption,” Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said.
He added that the flights will enable families to reunite, facilitate the restoration of commercial activities, stimulate tourist flow and bring many more opportunities which will serve the society.
Aid began reaching into Tigray since the peace deal was signed on November 2 to alleviate chronic shortages of food, drugs, fuel, and cash.
Mekele was connected back to the national electricity grid on December 6, and the country’s biggest bank, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, announced on December 19 that financial operations had resumed in some towns.
As per latest state media reports, almost the entire region is now connected to the national power grid and telecoms services have been restored in 27 towns there.
The war began in November 2020 when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent in troops after accusing the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the region’s ruling party, of attacking army bases.
