Last week, the US Embassy in Mogadishu issued a warning to its citizens in Somalia about possible terrorist attacks at several locations in Mogadishu, including Aden Adde International Airport.
The warning immediately halted flights by Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, which temporarily suspended flights to Mogadishu.
The Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Federal Government of Somalia, Fardowsa Osman Egal, said that there is no security threat in the country that could suspend international flights to Mogadishu.
“There is no threat that has caused Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines flights to be cancelled in Mogadishu, nor has anything dangerous been shared with us, and we have received complete security information,” said Minister Fardowsa Osman Egal.
Minister Fardowsa, who was interviewed by VOA Somali Service, said that Turkish Airlines questioned them about why they canceled their trip to Mogadishu and said that they suspended their flight to Mogadishu because of the warning they received.
“We explained to them that the warning did not come from us, and it was not from the Somali government, so they took us for a few days and canceled their flights, but in the end they accepted us,” said Minister Fardowso Osman Cigaal.
The minister also noted that apart from Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, other international flights also arrive in Mogadishu, such as flights from Ethiopia, Egypt and Uganda, and that these two companies that suspended their flights will resume their operations in the coming days.
