Ethiopian Airlines is due to resume regular flights to Tigray State in a bid to fast track the humanitarian response to the area. Preparations are underway to restart flights to and from all destinations in Tigray. Following the peace agreement reached in Pretoria, South Africa, government institutions are undergoing preparations to resume all services, and Ethiopian has carried out various preparations to resume regular flights to Tigray as per the peace accord.
There were several daily flights to the area, but after the incident, the service was suspended.
Tigray is one of the many destinations where the airliner conducts domestic flights; the resumption of flight to the state is of great importance. The truce between the government and TPLF will be of great significance in speeding up the delivery of humanitarian aid in addition to providing regular services to the airline.
Among the airports in Tigray, Mekelle and Shire airports are in good shape and are convenient for flights. The Axum Airport; however, was damaged in the conflict and needs to be restored to make it conducivefor flights.
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mesfin Tassew
Efforts continued to restore electricity in Northern Ethiopia
Government has been vigorously working to restore the war-affected electric lines. The 230 KV electric power transmission line extending from Gashena to Alamata towns – has seen completion and as such it is ready to go operational. Maintenance in other areas has also continued.
In the course of repairing fiber optics lines, due attention has been paid to saving cities from blackout. From Gashena on the way to Alamata, conductors had been found knocked down by vehicles at some 63 places. Many are found in bad shape and some remain intact on poles at some 120 places.
The maintenance work has helped entirely change some 484 insulators loaded on 20 pillars, and the part where power transmission props intersect was seriously damaged by artillery
Ethiopian Electric Utility North-East Region Department Maintenance Head, Tsehayneh Abebe
Flow of life-saving humanitarian aid to Northern Ethiopia has proceeded apace
Last week
The International Committee of the Red Cross has delivered lifesaving vital medical supplies in Mekelle, Tigray, for the first time since fighting resumed last August.
The healthcare system in the region is under extreme pressure and these deliveries are a lifeline for people who badly need medical help. We hope to continue these deliveries on a regular basis and significantly scale-up the humanitarian response.
This week
Trucks and flights with food and more medical supplies are arriving in Mekelle and Shire, as humanitarian needs remain immense.
With Ethiopian Red Cross Society teams, we are distributing urgently-needed medical supplies to health facilities in different parts of Tigray, Ethiopia.
International Committee of the Red Cross
The Ethiopian Herald November 26/2022
