Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia) said it will resume flights to Mekelle city after suspension due to law the conflict in the northern part of the country.
This was due to fighting between the government troops and Tigray.
According to Fana Broadcasting Corporation, the Ethiopian airline will be resuming regular flights on Wednesday, December 28, 2023, to Mekelle, the capital city of the Tigray region.
The airline CEO Mesfin Tassew briefed the media at a press briefing.
Activities are underway to resume regular local flights to other airports in the region, the CEO stated.
It is to be recalled that a delegation of officials of the Federal Government of Ethiopia led by Tagesse Chafo arrived at Mekele on December 26 to oversee the implementation of major issues in the peace agreement as per the set plan.
Ethiopian flight landed at Mekelle Alula Aba Nega International Airport carrying the delegation from Addis Ababa.
All staff of the airline has now been on duty it said; adding flight will continue once a day to the city, according to the Ethiopian Airlines.
They held discussions with TPLF leaders and the residents of Mekele city.
The high-level delegation of the federal government was led by House of Representatives Speaker, Tagese Chafo, headed to Mekele.
In its discussion with the TPLF leaders and the residents of Mekele city, the delegation reiterated that the federal government is committed to fully implementing the Pretoria agreement.
Following the peace agreement, it is known that infrastructures are being repaired and public institutions resumed service partially in some areas of the region.
To fully resume services of institutions and repair infrastructures in all areas of the region, the heads of different federal government institutions were present in Mekele Monday and discussed with the residents of Mekele city.
Officials of Ethio Telecom, Ethiopian Airlines, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Electric Utility, Ethiopian Roads Authority, Ministry of Transport and Logistics, Ministry of Industry and other institutions have explained the status of the infrastructures and to fully resume services.
They reaffirmed that they would work to fully resume services that have not been started in a short time.
In particular, the officials stated that telecommunication, bank, electricity and Airlines are in the process of resuming services in Mekele and its surroundings in a short period of time.
Ethiopian Airlines has made certain professionals stay for a while in Mekele to facilitate the situation.
Besides the TPLF leaders, the delegation also discussed with the representatives and the residents of Mekele city.
The residents requested for continued implementation of the lasting peace agreement and swift restoration of service institutions in the region.
They said that they were chuffed by the arrival of the federal government’s delegation to Mekele which shows the government’s continued commitment to the peace agreement.
Chafo, said there have been many changes since the peace agreement, indicating that the federal government delegation headed to Mekele to demonstrate the government’s continued commitment to lasting peace.
The speaker also emphasized that discussing and resolving the issues reached in line with the Pretoria and Nairobi agreement is necessary.
TPLF Chairperson Debre-Tsion Gebre-Michael said, “It is a big step for us to come together to solve our problems without a third party.”
He said that the peace process that commenced following the Pretoria accord is going well, adding that works should be carried out as soon as possible to reach the people who are more in need.
