Ethiopian Airlines halts Tigray routes amid fighting

Ethiopian Airlines Suspends Tigray Flights as 2022 Truce Shows Cracks

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopian Airlines grounded all flights to Tigray on January 29, shutting down the primary air corridor into northern Ethiopia as reports of fresh clashes between federal forces and regional fighters raised immediate questions about whether a fragile 2022 peace agreement is holding. "As of today, all flights have been cancelled," an airline spokesman told Reuters, without providing details on the reason or timeline for resumption. The carrier has not issued a formal statement, and the suspension covers routes from Addis Ababa International to the Tigray region, where air access has been critical for both humanitarian relief and commercial travel since the end of a devastating civil war. The timing is sharp. An African Union-brokered 2022 peace deal had halted a two-year war that killed an estimated 600,000 people, according to an AU envoy. That ceasefire, signed in Pretoria, offered a rare moment of de-escalation in a conflict that gutted infrastructure, displaced millions, and left Tigray cut off from the rest of the country. But renewed clashes now suggest the truce, already fragile and poorly implemented, may be unraveling.

What the Flight Suspension Means for Tigray Access

Ethiopian Airlines serves as the lifeline for Tigray. The region, isolated by mountainous terrain and poor road networks, relies on air service for everything from medical supplies to commercial goods and access to cash, which remains scarce in much of northern Ethiopia. The suspension effectively seals Tigray off from rapid transit, forcing anyone trying to enter or leave the region onto overland routes that are slower, more dangerous, and vulnerable to roadblocks or military activity. For travelers, aid workers, and journalists operating in or around the region, the suspension is a red flag. When a national carrier cancels service without public explanation, it typically signals deteriorating security conditions that make flight operations untenable. In this case, the clashes reportedly involve areas near flight paths or airports themselves, raising the risk of ground fire, drone activity, or other threats to civilian aviation. This is not a precautionary measure. This is a response to active hostilities.

The 2022 Peace Deal and Its Limits

The Pretoria Agreement was supposed to end the cycle. Signed in November 2022 after months of quiet diplomacy, the deal committed both sides to disarmament, the restoration of services, and the withdrawal of foreign forces, including Eritrean troops who had fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces during the war. On paper, it worked. Fighting stopped. Aid began trickling in. Ethiopian Airlines resumed flights. But implementation stalled almost immediately. Disarmament schedules were disputed. Federal authorities accused Tigray leaders of withholding weapons. Tigray officials accused the government of failing to restore banking services, electricity, and telecommunications. Eritrean forces, despite pledges to withdraw, remained visible in parts of the region. Trust, already shattered by two years of war crimes and atrocities on both sides, never rebuilt. Now, with fresh clashes reported and flights suspended, the fragile architecture of that peace deal is visibly cracking.

Geopolitical Friction and Regional Instability

Ethiopia's internal tensions do not operate in a vacuum. The country sits at the crossroads of the Horn of Africa, bordered by Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, and Kenya. Regional dynamics, including disputes over Red Sea access and Eritrea's long-standing hostility toward the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), complicate any effort at lasting peace. Eritrea's involvement in the original conflict was brutal and well-documented. Its forces were implicated in massacres, sexual violence, and widespread looting. The Pretoria Agreement called for their withdrawal, but credible reports suggest Eritrean troops never fully left. That presence feeds paranoia on all sides and gives hardliners in both the Ethiopian federal government and Tigray leadership room to argue that the other side is planning for renewed war. The January 29 flight suspension suggests that argument is no longer theoretical.

What Travelers and Operators Should Know

If you have plans involving Tigray or northern Ethiopia, recalibrate now. Ethiopian Airlines does not suspend service lightly. The carrier is Africa's largest and most reliable, with a strong operational track record even in difficult environments. When it pulls flights without public explanation, that is a signal worth taking seriously. Overland travel into Tigray is not a safe alternative at this stage. Roads that were passable under the ceasefire may now be contested, patrolled, or blocked. Communications infrastructure remains spotty, making it difficult to get real-time updates on conditions. Aid groups operating in the region will have contingency plans, but independent travelers, photographers, and journalists should assume that access is restricted and that the security environment is deteriorating. For those already in Tigray, the priority is flexibility. Monitor local sources, maintain contact with embassies or consular offices, and be prepared for rapid changes in conditions. If flights resume, they may do so with little notice and limited capacity. If they do not resume soon, that is a strong indicator that the situation is worsening, not stabilizing.

The Broader Picture

Ethiopia's stability matters far beyond its borders. The country hosts major African Union institutions, serves as a diplomatic hub, and sits astride key trade routes linking the interior of the continent to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Internal conflict in Ethiopia radiates outward, affecting refugee flows, regional security, and humanitarian operations across the Horn. The 2020-2022 Tigray War was one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century, with a death toll approaching that of some of the worst years in Syria or Yemen. A return to full-scale fighting would have catastrophic consequences for civilians, displace aid operations, and destabilize an already volatile region. The flight suspension is not yet proof of war, but it is proof that peace is fragile. And for anyone planning to travel in or near northern Ethiopia, that fragility is now the dominant fact on the ground.