The planned reopening of Sudan’s main airport in Khartoum, which has been closed for more than two and a half years, was postponed on Wednesday following drone strikes that occurred earlier in the day and on Tuesday, an airline source told Reuters.
The airport, located in central Khartoum, was among the first sites targeted when fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), suffering extensive damage that brought flights to a complete halt.
After retaking control of the capital earlier this year, the army-led government made repairing and reopening the airport a top priority to demonstrate progress toward restoring normal life in areas under its control.
According to the International Organization for Migration, more than one million people have returned to the capital after millions fled during RSF occupation.
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Badr Airlines had planned to operate the first commercial domestic flight on October 22, but the recent drone strikes underscored ongoing security risks.
The RSF has continued to target both civilian and military infrastructure in army-held areas using drones while attempting to tighten its grip on Sudan’s Darfur region.
The airline source said the inaugural flight was postponed for several days and that the situation was under close observation.
Earlier this week, the company said on Facebook that it had successfully landed a plane at the airport, apparently as part of a test run.
For now, only domestic flights are scheduled. In a speech released late Tuesday, RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo warned that his forces would attack any airport, inside or outside Sudan, from which planes or drones assisting the army were launched.
The Khartoum airport also houses an air force base. Dagalo has previously accused Egypt of conducting airstrikes in support of the Sudanese army, an allegation Cairo has denied.
Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, visited the airport on Tuesday following one of the drone strikes, which the army said had been intercepted. Security officials reported that damage from both attacks was minimal.
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Image Credit: Reuters
