Sudan aviation authority denies report of Saudi airline passenger deaths

December 30, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday denied reports claiming officials had completed the burial of 345 passengers from a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane allegedly destroyed during the outbreak of conflict in April 2023.

The authority issued a statement describing the reports as rumours, clarifying that all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated before the situation escalated. No fatalities were recorded among the passengers or crew during the attack on Khartoum Airport by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15, 2023.

Air traffic records and operational reports contain no evidence of such a disaster, the authority said, adding that the claims lacked professionalism and were intended to mislead the public while distorting the reputation of Sudan’s aviation sector.

Reliable sources told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that the passengers were saved by a quick decision made by air traffic control as the airport became a battlefield.

The sources identified the controller on duty as Mohammed Taha Al-Sadiq, who ordered the immediate disembarkation of passengers and the closure of Sudanese airspace as the first shots were fired.

“When Khartoum Airport transformed from a civilian facility into a battlefield, someone stood in the control tower facing a situation not found in any training manuals or emergency regulations,” the sources said.

The sources added that the reports of a mass casualty event were a “delusion” and that the evacuation was a silent rescue carried out by staff facing direct physical danger at the facility.