(Posted 24th January 2025)
Airlines suspend flights to Mogadishu
A dispute over taxation between air operators in Somalia and the Somali regime led to the suspension of flights on Wednesday, leaving at least 200 passengers stranded as the airlines halted their flights.
The Somali Air Operators Association made the announcement that due to unresolved differences over taxes with the Ministry of Transport and the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) their members would not operate their scheduled flights.
It is not presently known when the dispute will be settled, and how, as the Somali regime is known to react stubbornly to such representations of the private sector.
In a response to the announcement, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority issued its own statement, predictably dismissing claims of flight disruptions over tax increases.
It warned against the spread of “false information” and provided albeit murky details on why the airlines have been grounded, saying several aircraft were grounded after inspections revealed maintenance deficiencies. This, adds ATCNews, is in contrast to the statement given by the air operators association which makes no mention of grounded aircraft.
“The Civil Aviation Authority conducted inspections of domestic aircraft and found issues that could endanger passenger safety. These aircraft cannot fly until repairs are completed in accordance with the law,” the SCAA’s statement said among other utterances.
Only recently were accusations flying between the Mogadishu regime and the Kenyan government when it was alleged that a Kenyan aircraft had illegally entered Somalia and flown out the leader of Jubaland, an area which is located in the south of Somalia and borders Kenya, allegations rejected by Kenyan authorities.
