Khartoum airport cleared of wrecked aircraft, but reopening still uncertain

January 1, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Khartoum International Airport has been cleared of war-damaged aircraft and debris, aviation sources said on Thursday, yet no date has been set for the resumption of commercial flights after nearly three years of closure.

The airport, a repeated target of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since fighting erupted in April 2023, saw its runways and apron littered with destroyed planes and shrapnel. Carriers, working with airport authorities, have now removed the last wreckage in line with international safety protocols, the sources told Sudan Tribune.

A full technical inspection and rehabilitation of the facility are still required, and the Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority has yet to issue a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) reopening the airspace. Officials say such a notice must be agreed upon by security and civilian agencies.

Some aviation managers hope flights could restart as early as next week, coinciding with the government’s partial return to the capital, while others caution that lingering security risks – including the potential for aircraft to be targeted – make an immediate reopening unlikely.

Badr Airlines said on Monday it aims to operate the first scheduled service to Khartoum since the war began, listing a Jan 5 flight from Port Sudan with fares of $220 in economy and $275 in business class.

Major General Mubarak Osman Bashir, who heads the airport’s rehabilitation committee, said the facility “is ready to receive returning citizens,” adding that repairs were completed despite “high costs and major challenges” facing Sudan’s aviation sector.