Somalia Says it Has Full Airspace Control, Allays Claims of Interruptions

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Somalia has dismissed claims that its airspace control systems were interfered with noting it has full control.

The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) said in  a statement it was fully in charge of the system allaying allegations by its counterpart in Somaliland that there were interruptions from Mogadishu.

SCAA said the Mogadishu Flight Information Region (FIR) airspace communication had not changed since 1960.

The Somaliland Civil Aviation and Airports Authority (SL-CAAA) had earlier said that Mogadishu would blame should there be interruptions.

“From today, Somaliland will not be held accountable for any disruptions in air traffic control between Somaliland and Somalia. Responsibility lies with those exploiting the situation for their political gain,” SL-CAAA Director Omar Sayid Abdullah said.

The allegations by Somaliland follow recent incidents in which SCAA reportedly barred flights bound for Hargeisa. A case in point was the Ethiopian Airlines flight which was barred from landing in Hargeisa on January 17, 2024.

Somalia regained full airspace control from ICAO in 2018. The international regulator had secured control of the Somali airspace since the start of the civil war in 1991.