Toronto – Ethiopian Airlines flights to Asmara which restarted in July 2018 after two decades following rapprochement between Eritrea and Ethiopia is tragically suspended again.
Mesfin Tassew, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, on Tuesday spoke to journalists in Addis Ababa highlighting why the flights are suspended.
The CEO also noted that it was indicated in the March 26 letter that Eritrea Civil Aviation Authority reduced the 14 Ethiopian flights to Asmara (twice a day) to ten and the airline was also instructed to use narrow bodies planes, he added.
“We did not ignore it. We replied to it right away,” said Mesfin Tassew. The airlines responded, according to the CEO, to get the lists of passengers with their delayed or lost luggages tags. It was to compensate them as requested. But the list was not received, he noted. Also he said that the airline attempted to initiate a meeting with Eritrean civil aviation which was not a success.
Since then, he added, that Ethiopian Airlines was flying only 100 passengers in a plane with a capacity of 160 passengers only to avoid claims of luggage delays and loss.
The CEO also explained that it is not uncommon to experience delayed luggages and that it happens with other travelers as well, not just Eritrean passengers.
On July 8, 2024 Ethiopian Airlines received another letter from Eritrea Civil Aviation – this time with Compliments and that the airline was notified that the number of flights were increased to 15 and wide body planes could be used. “We were happy,” said Mesfin.
It did not last. On July 21, Ethiopian Airlines received another letter which the CEO described as “sudden and shocking.” The airline was notified that it can not fly to Eritrea after September 30 but no explanation was given why such a decision was passed.
Attempt to reach out to Eritrea Civil Aviation Authority was not a success, the CEO said. The CEO said he sent three letters requesting a meeting to discuss with the authority but there is not a single reply. Communication was also initiated via the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority. Phone calls were unanswered. Letters were unanswered, the CEO revealed. The effort was to identify if there was any other problem and resolve it as was the case with the luggage issue.
Bank Account Blockade
On July 25, 2024 another development involving the bank account of Ethiopian Airlines in Eritrea was reported. Bank, whose name is unspecified, informed the Airlines agent in Asamara that they can deposit cash from the sales but money can not be transferred to Ethiopia.
The account was “frozen.” The airline received a copy of the decision from the bank. The CEO said the airline communicated to the Bank to find out why the account was frozen without a court order. It turns out that the Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority wrote to the Bank to take the action. The bank also advised Ethiopian Airlines, according to Mesfin Tassew, to resolve the matter with Eritrean Civil Aviation. It did not happen.
Request for the release of the funds allowed and the request for a meeting with Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority was ignored.
On August 31, 2024 Ethiopian Airlines agent in Asmara attempted to deposit cash from Sales but was informed that the account was permanently “blocked.” According to the CEO,that made it difficult to make service payments to the Eritrean government and also to Ethiopian Airlines employees in Asmara. “We were unable to operate under such a condition,” the CEO said and that the flights were suspended as of September 3, 2024.
Passengers who booked a flight were given the option to be connected to another airline or get a full refund of their bookings.
The Eritrean government has not yet responded to the Ethiopian Airlines narratives about the incidents that led to its decision to end flight as of September 3.
The blockade of Ethiopian Airlines bank account seems to have angered a considerable number of Ethiopians based on conversations going on social media platforms.
Source: Borkena
