# Flights resume to Mekelle after Ethiopian forces retake Tigray capital and airport

*Monday, October 12, 2026 at 6:21 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-10-12T06:21:20.124Z (2h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Africa
**Importance**: 6/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/20356.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Ethiopian Airlines has restarted flights to Mekelle after almost three weeks, following the recapture of Tigray’s capital and airport by federal forces, reopening an air link that had been cut since late September.

Passengers returned to Mekelle airport on 12 October for the first time in almost three weeks, as Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights to the Tigray regional capital. The carrier had suspended services to Mekelle, Axum, and Hire after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front seized Mekelle and its airport on 23 September. Federal forces have since retaken the city and restored control over the airfield.

The loss of Mekelle airport in late September effectively severed routine air access to Tigray’s main political and economic center. With flights halted, civilians, officials, and aid workers who depended on commercial services or limited charters had to rely more heavily on road routes that are slower and more vulnerable to disruption.

The decision to restart flights signals that the central government now judges its control over Mekelle and the airport sufficient to allow civilian traffic again, rather than keeping the facility closed or limited to military use. It also re‑establishes a direct connection between Tigray’s capital and the rest of Ethiopia for people and light cargo.

For residents of Tigray, even a partial return of commercial air travel has tangible effects. It offers options for medical evacuations, family travel, and the movement of higher‑value goods that are difficult or risky to transport overland. For business owners and students, resuming flights restores a basic link to Addis Ababa and other cities.

Aid organizations benefit from renewed air access as well. While large shipments of food and supplies typically move by road, the ability to rotate staff and conduct rapid assessments by air can improve humanitarian operations in an area where ground movements are often constrained.

The underlying security and political disputes in and around Tigray remain unresolved, and control over towns and infrastructure in the region has changed hands before. The reopening of Mekelle’s airport is therefore a practical improvement rather than a guarantee of lasting stability.

Key signs to watch now include whether flights to Axum and Hire also resume, how frequently airlines serve Mekelle in the coming weeks, and whether any renewed clashes around the city lead to another suspension. Those developments will show whether the current reopening marks the start of a more durable normalization or a temporary opening in a still‑fluid conflict.