Ethiopia Flights Cancelled as Rebels Seize Three Tigray Airports

Rebel forces in northern Ethiopia seized the three main airports in the Tigray region on the night of 22 to 23 September 2026, prompting the national carrier to suspend flights to the area and leading to the closure of a second airport further south. Fighting has since spread along the Tigray borders with the Afar and Amhara regions, with airstrikes reported on several fronts.

Key facts

• The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) took control of the airports at Axum, Shire and Mekele on the night of 22–23 September 2026.
• Ethiopian Airlines cancelled flights to those three cities starting on 23 September.
• The Lalibela airport was closed by the Ethiopian military because of nearby fighting.
• A new rebel coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, was announced on 20 September.
• Clashes continued on 24 September, with Ethiopian military airstrikes reported.

What happened at the Tigray airports?

The TPLF seized the airports in Axum, Shire and Mekele, the Tigray regional capital, from federal police forces overnight on 22–23 September. The group reportedly took the airports without substantial resistance and detained federal officials. The TPLF's military command described its actions as defensive and accused the federal government of invading Tigray.

These airports were effectively the last federally controlled areas in Tigray outside disputed zones. Holding them positions the TPLF to prevent the Ethiopian military from flying reinforcements into the region, and could open an air bridge depending on the group's air defences.

Which flights and airports are affected?

Ethiopian Airlines, the state-owned national airline, cancelled flights to Axum, Shire and Mekele from 23 September. Separately, fighting near Lalibela, roughly 85 miles southwest of Alamata, led the Ethiopian military to close the Lalibela airport; two pro-Fano sources claimed rebel forces interdicted two military helicopters near the town.

Where else is the fighting?

On the Afar–Tigray border, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front captured Abala, a district capital about 30 miles east of Mekele on a secondary highway linking Mekele to the Afar regional capital, Semera. Clashes were reported in Tonsa, around 50 miles southeast of Mekele, and in Berahile, Dallol and Erebti. A former TPLF official claimed five other Afar towns had also fallen, but this could not be verified. The Afar regional government accused the TPLF of starting a war in Afar.

Along the Amhara–Tigray border, the Amhara Fano National Movement and the Tigray Defense Forces fought the Ethiopian military around the A2 highway between Alamata and Woldia. A rebel advance toward Sekota was reportedly repelled. The Ethiopian military claimed to have killed 272 Tigray Defense Forces fighters and wounded 260, but no independent source has verified those figures. In western Tigray, forces clashed near Tselimoy on 24 September, with airstrikes also reported.

What is happening elsewhere in the region?

China is expanding its ability to monitor military activity and collect signals intelligence across the Middle East and Africa from its People's Liberation Army support base in Djibouti, and could use those capabilities to watch United States and allied military activity. In Mali, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin is intensifying pressure on Malian and Russian forces in central Mali. In Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces launched an offensive against Rapid Support Forces positions in North Kordofan, while a separate Rapid Support Forces push in southeastern Sudan is drawing attention away from the main front. In Somalia, the United States reportedly plans to extend its backing of a United Nations counterterrorism office that is vital to the African Union force remaining in the country into 2027.

What this means for travellers

Flights to Axum, Shire and Mekele are cancelled and the Lalibela airport is closed, so travellers with bookings to northern Ethiopia should check the current status of their flights before departure. Fighting has been reported across Tigray, Afar and Amhara, including near roads and towns in those regions.

The coalition behind the offensive was announced on 20 September and accused the federal government on 23 September of starting a renewed war. Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos and intelligence official Redwan Hussein had warned the United States and several European embassies of an imminent attack on 17 September. Clashes were still continuing on 24 September.