Travellers to Tigray face ongoing airport and comms disruption after army retake

Ethiopia's federal army and pro-government fighters have recaptured the main airport in Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, with rebel fighters seen leaving the city, sources with knowledge of events in Mekelle and a humanitarian source said on Saturday. The advance is the most significant shift in the fighting since the current round of hostilities began on 23 September 2026.

Key facts

• Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle is back under the control of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces
• The airport lies about 10km (6 miles) from the centre of Mekelle
• It was one of three airfields in the region seized by rebels on 23 September 2026
• Federal forces had not yet been seen inside Mekelle itself
• Media access in Ethiopia is heavily restricted and communications blackouts are in place

What has changed on the ground?

The Ethiopian National Defence Forces regained control of Alula Aba Nega Airport, sources told Reuters. Fighters and leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) were seen retreating from the city, a local journalist and residents told AFP. The journalist added that federal troops had not yet been seen inside Mekelle.

Residents described fears for safety and property in the absence of security forces. One resident said they were worried that "lawlessness could spread in the city". These accounts could not be independently confirmed: media access in Ethiopia is currently heavily restricted, and there have been significant communications blackouts.

How did the fighting start?

Last month, rebels announced a seven-party coalition led by the TPLF, the armed group that fought federal forces from Addis Ababa in the 2020–2022 civil war. The coalition later launched an offensive, seizing three airports around the contested Tigray region and fighting on the borders with Amhara and Afar states.

The government is now running a counteroffensive, pushing into Tigray along three axes towards Mekelle, according to the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute. Fighting has concentrated in Tigray, though rebels have reportedly carried out drone attacks on Addis Ababa. Neither the TPLF nor the government has commented on developments on the ground.

Why is the conflict widening?

The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the rebel coalition; Khartoum and Cairo have denied involvement. Eritrea has severed diplomatic ties with Ethiopia over the accusations and denied involvement, while accusing Ethiopia of planning to invade it to secure Red Sea access. TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael said in a video that "the war is regional and it is a war to control the Red Sea". Ethiopia has previously ruled out seeking conflict with Eritrea over coastal access.

What this means for travellers

Airports in the Tigray region have changed hands during the fighting, and communications blackouts and restricted media access make conditions hard to verify. Amnesty International has reported drone attacks, intensified forced conscription and attacks on civilian infrastructure. Anyone with plans involving northern Ethiopia should confirm current conditions and transport arrangements before travelling.

The renewed conflict has not reached the scale of the 2020–2022 Tigray war, which saw hundreds of thousands of deaths, but it is quickly taking on an international dimension.