UN Halts Flights To Ethiopia's Mekelle After Plane Forced To Abort Landing - Spokesman

The United Nations is suspending all humanitarian flights to the capital of Ethiopia's restive Tigray region, Mekelle, until further notice after a UN plane was forced to abort scheduled landing earlier on Friday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told Sputnik

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2021) The United Nations is suspending all humanitarian flights to the capital of Ethiopia's restive Tigray region, Mekelle, until further notice after a UN plane was forced to abort scheduled landing earlier on Friday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told Sputnik.

"A United Nations Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) flight which had been cleared by Federal authorities to transport 11 passengers from Addis Ababa to Mekelle on October 22, received instructions to abort landing by the Mekelle airport control tower. The aircraft safely returned to Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa at around 13:00hrs (10 a.m. GMT)," Dujarric said.

"WFP, UNHAS and partners are carefully reviewing the circumstances. All UNHAS flights into Mekelle have been suspended until further notice," he added.