Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways have suspended flights to Mogadishu after security warnings from the U.S. Embassy regarding potential terrorist attacks targeting Aden Adde International Airport.
The embassy issued an alert warning of possible threats to key facilities, including the airport, which led to the suspension of flights. Turkish Airlines announced the cancellation of its flights to Mogadishu from March 6 to March 12, affecting international travel to and from Somalia. Passengers were informed that today’s scheduled flights had been cancelled for security reasons.
“We’ve been told that flights to Mogadishu have been cancelled due to concerns about the airport’s security,” said a source familiar with Turkish Airlines’ operations. The suspension was confirmed by travel agencies handling Turkish Airlines bookings.
Turkish Airlines has not provided an official reason for the cancellations; security experts speculate that the decision is tied to intelligence reports regarding potential threats.
Analyst Ahmed Abdullahi Kaboole, an expert on Somali security issues, told the BBC Somali Service that the warnings reflect credible intelligence. “The presence of these alerts suggests that there are real and imminent security risks, as recognized by both the U.S. government and Turkish Airlines,” Kaboole said.
The recent security alert follows a surge in militant activity. Since February 20, Al-Shabaab had executed multiple attacks across Middle Shabelle and Hiraan, briefly taking control of several towns, including Balcad, which lies just 30 kilometres from Mogadishu, before Somali forces managed to reclaim the area.
It also comes on the heels of a mortar attack on the airport during Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s visit last week.
In addition, Qatar Airways will not be operating flights to Mogadishu tomorrow. Officials at Aden Adde International Airport confirmed the suspension of both airlines’ services for the foreseeable future.
Both airlines had been running daily flights to Mogadishu, serving as a critical link for both commercial and humanitarian flights into the country.
Despite these growing concerns, other international airlines, including Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air, and a host of regional airlines, have yet to suspend their flights to Mogadishu. However, the situation remains fluid, and the suspension of Turkish Airlines flights could be a sign of broader caution among foreign companies operating in Somalia.
