There is a new Conflict Zone in the east of Africa, which carries elevated risk to flight operations that may not be obvious from NOTAMs or other risk warning sources.

Some airways have been closed by the Ethiopian and Sudanese CAAs. Other airways that are still open are very close to the Conflict Zone. These are frequently used by international operators on the Europe- East Africa route. In particular: UN321, UG300 and UL432. We are concerned that operators may be using these routes without being aware of the risk.

OPSGROUP has today issued an Airspace Risk Warning to its members.

Download OPSGROUP Airspace Risk Warning – Ethiopia/Eritrea (PDF)

 

Download Hi-Res version of this Conflict Zone map

 

Situation

The region being disputed is called Tigray. It’s in the north of Ethiopia. Government forces are fighting a regional force that wants independence, called the TPLF. In the past week, there has been heavy fighting, multiple airstrikes, missiles launched, and a growing refugee crisis. A domestic conflict has become a cross-border war.

Our Concerns

There are many warning flags that point to previous shootdown incidents – not least MH17 and PS752. These are the reasons we are particularly concerned about the risk to civil aviation in this region:

Local NOTAMs are misleading
The NOTAMs issued by the Ethiopian CAA to close airways in the conflict zone (UM308, UT124) do not say why they are closed. NOTAMs issued to reroute traffic to adjacent routes (UN321, UL432) do not say why they are rerouted. The same applies to NOTAMs issued by the Sudan CAA to close airways and reroute traffic. Flight crews and aircraft operators are therefore not alerted to any conflict in the area by NOTAM.

Arbitrary Reroutes
Traffic is being rerouted to other airways by ATC, but it’s not clear, or likely, that there has been any risk assessment. European flights are now using UN321/UG300, and UL432 – all of which come exceptionally close to the conflict zone. As we’ve learned from MH17 and PS752, just because airspace is open and available, does not mean it is safe.

Previous shootdowns
The Ethiopian Army shot down an Embraer 120 in May 2020, in Somalia. The Ethiopian Air Force shot down a US Learjet in August 1999 in the Eritrean border region. Both were misidentified.

No guidance to operators
No aviation authorities or official sources have issued any guidance or warnings to date via normal channels.

Rapid Escalation of Conflict
The situation has intensified rapidly, and is extremely unpredictable and unstable. The impact on aviation has not been widely reported.

Guidance

Enroute – Overflight:
If you’re transiting any airspace near or over Ethiopia, Eritrea, or Sudan, take a close look at the map and cross check the airways you are operating on. Several open airways are exceptionally close to the Conflict Zone. Just because they are open does not mean they are safe.

Landing – Airports:
Airports in the north of Ethiopia, including the Tigray and Amhara regions, are unsafe at present. Many are closed. There have been missile attacks on HABD/Bahir Dar, and HAGN/Gondar. HHAS/Asmara in Eritrea should be avoided – missile attack on Nov 14, 2020.

Information Sources

The Conflict Zone & Risk Database at SafeAirspace.net contains all current published warnings and alerts for Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The countries that issue the most relevant updates for unsafe airspace are:

• US (FAA) – through Notams and SFARs
• UK (DFT) – by Notam and then AIP
• Germany (BMVI) – by Notam
• France (DGAC) – by AIC

Note: Operators should not rely on EASA Conflict Zone Information Bulletins (CZIB)’s as a primary source of information. These serve only as pointers to the above sources, and often are not issued until several months after updates, if at all. Note that the Civil Aviation Authorities of the countries whose airspace is determined to be unsafe are unlikely to issue reliable guidance.

Group effort

This information is compiled from OPSGROUP member input, information, intelligence and analysis. If you have additional information to share, please send it to report@safeairspace.net.

Members: More information

OPSGROUP Members: More information in the discussion in the Forum about Ethiopia/Eritrea:
Forum > International Ops > New Conflict Zone Ethiopia/Eritrea

All links to further resources are there.

 

Typhoon for Tokyo 07SEP Tropical Storm Malou is tracking towards Tokyo and expected to intensify. Multiple Japanese airports are likely to be affected … Read the article

New Shanwick / NAT procedure 07SEP Shortly all FANS 1/A flights will get a “CONFIRM ASSIGNED ROUTE” message from Oceanic ATC (Shanwick, Reykjavik, Gander) shortly after entering their OACC, to mitigate against Gross Nav Errors. Read the article

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HHZZ/Eritrea The US State Dept has issued a Travel Warning for Eritrea which warns of the risks of travel to Eritrea due to the unpredictable security situation along Eritrea’s borders and restrictions imposed by local authorities on travel within the country. All foreign nationals, including U.S. government employees, must obtain permits to travel outside of the capital Asmara. This restriction limits the ability of the U.S. Embassy to provide consular/emergency services anywhere outside of Asmara. This replaces the Travel Warning dated May 6, 2015. Avoid travel along all border regions. In June 2016, fighting in the Ethiopia-Eritrea border region reportedly caused several deaths. Continued political and military tensions between Eritrea and the neighboring countries of Djibouti and Ethiopia pose the threat of possible renewed conflict. Due to regional sensitivities, the State Department also recommends against travel to the border region with Sudan.

WSSS/Singapore will be super busy during the Grand Prix weekend 14-18SEP. Ask for a slot before operating, if you don’t get one, use Seletar instead.

RPLL/Manila has a couple of new procedures for non-scheduled flights. First, traffic arriving between 2200-0400Z daily – the peak period – should look for a slot from Manila FSS – who are at mfss.staff@gmail.com, or call 2 944 2098/99. Once you have the slot, get your EDCT from Manila ATC. If operating domestically, file the flight plan between 2 and 24 hrs prior departure.

DNBC/Bauchi is a new airport designator in Nigeria for the Tafawa Balewa International Airport.

VLVT/Vientiane, Laos The 28th and 29th ASEAN Annual Heads of State Summit is being held in Vientiane from 5 to 9 September; there will be road closures and delays in arrivals and departures of both international and domestic flights at Wattay International Airport.

FOZZ/Gabon has seen multiple security warnings in the last few days, following a disputed election result. Widespread, violent demonstrations, rioting, looting, and road blocks continue, both in Libreville and other cities throughout Gabon. At this time the airport in Libreville is open and operational and commercial flights are available. The US Embassy recommends U.S. citizens remain in a safe location and avoid non-essential movement.

MMSD/Los Cabos, Mexico Hurricane Newton has passed and Los Cabos airport has officially re-opened its commercial operations, no major damage reported.

EBOS/Ostende Air BP is no longer providing Jet A1 fuel here.

EKOD/Odense will be closed on 22SEP due to an event. Jet fuel not available. You can email twr@hca-airport.dka for further.

HELX/Luxor Radio, which previously operated on HF5859 and 2562, is now off the air.

LZIB/Bratislava will required slots for all operations 15-17SEP, small GA aircraft not welcome on these days. Email slots@bts.aero.

FNZZ/Angola The WHO has provided an update on the yellow fever outbreak in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The WHO estimates that there have been 6,000 suspected and 1,000 laboratory confirmed cases of yellow fever since the outbreak began in Angola in December 2015. More than 400 people have died from the mosquito-borne disease since that time. However, the last confirmed case in Angola was on 23 June and in the DRC was on 12 July, which the WHO believes is an encouraging sign. Nevertheless, the organization still characterizes the outbreak as “serious” and as requiring “sustained, controlled measures.” Thus far, 22 million people in Angola and 14 million people in the DRC have received vaccinations against yellow fever as part of a large-scale initiative that was prompted by this outbreak.

SARI/Cataratas is permanently downgraded to RFF Category 6.

URRR/Rostov wins the prize this week for clogging up the Notam system; the runway there is closed 29 times between now and October 21st, and they have therefore issued 29 Notams. Perfect.

SPQU/Arequipa, Peru is not allowing overnights until 11SEP due capacity. Non-scheduled flights limited to 3 hours parking.

 

View full International Bulletin 07SEP2016