After 35 years, the planned return of Somali Airlines comes as the country rebuilds institutions spanning aviation, finance and regional trade.
Bonface Orucho, bird story agency
Somalia is preparing to return its national airline to the skies in September, 35 years after civil war grounded the carrier.
The revival comes as the country rebuilds institutions needed to reconnect its economy with East Africa and international markets.
According to Bloomberg, the government expects Somali Airlines to begin flying next month, which would mark the first scheduled commercial service by the national carrier since operations stopped in 1991 following the collapse of Somalia’s central government.
Ahmed Ma’allin, director of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority, separately told Aviation Today that preparations were in their final stages and that “the first flight will be around mid-September.”
The revived carrier will begin with two Airbus A320 aircraft acquired by the government in July 2025.
Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Farah Nuuh said the aircraft would form the starting point for a larger fleet, with two or three additional aircraft expected as operations expand.
The A320 is widely used on regional and medium-haul routes, making it suited to the connections Somalia is seeking to rebuild with East Africa, the Gulf and other international markets.
According to Airbus, more than 300 of its aircraft are operated by nearly 40 airlines across Africa. The manufacturer expects African airlines to require more than 1,500 additional aircraft over the next two decades as passenger traffic grows.
Somalia’s return to commercial aviation therefore comes as airlines across the continent expand fleets to meet rising demand.
The airline revival follows the restoration of Somalia’s control over its airspace, a process that culminated in 2023 when responsibility for the Mogadishu Flight Information Region was transferred to Somali authorities after decades of externally managed aviation services.
The transfer restored a core state function and provided a foundation for rebuilding the country’s aviation sector.
Somalia has also moved to deepen its economic integration with East Africa. The country joined the East African Community in 2024 as the bloc’s eighth member, gaining access to a regional framework for trade, investment and the movement of people, goods and services.
The country has begun building financial institutions alongside these regional links.
In June 2025, Somalia launched the National Securities Exchange of Somalia, its first national stock exchange, creating a platform for equities and Sharia-compliant Sukuk bonds.
According to the exchange, the bourse is intended to broaden access to investment and attract capital from the Somali diaspora and foreign investors.
At its launch, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre described the exchange as marking “a new dawn” for the economy, while Finance Minister Bihi Iman Egeh said it would help businesses access capital and support wider economic reforms.
The airline will return to a market already served by international carriers including Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.
There is also a growing interest by African airlines to expand routes into Somalia. A spot check of airlines connecting to Mogadishu shows that carriers including Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Uganda Airlines and Air Tanzania operate connecting flights to the Somali capital.
The re-launched airline’s challenge will therefore be to build routes and attract passengers in an established market rather than simply replace a carrier that has been absent for decades.
The Somali diaspora across East Africa, the Gulf, Europe and North America provides an established travel market. Stronger regional integration could also increase movement by business travellers, traders and investors.
Somali Airlines was established in 1964 and once operated routes linking Somalia with cities across Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Operations ended in 1991 as civil war brought down the central government and disrupted much of the country’s institutional infrastructure.
The planned return now forms part of a broader rebuilding of the country’s aviation infrastructure.
Somalia is developing the New Mogadishu International Airport, a greenfield project intended to replace the capacity-constrained Aden Adde International Airport and position Mogadishu as a larger regional aviation gateway.
The New Mogadishu Development Corporation estimates the project will cost more than US$714 million. Phase I is designed to handle 5 million passengers and 100,000 tonnes of cargo a year, with completion targeted for 2029.
Financing is being assembled through private investment, debt and public-private partnerships.
According to NMDC, strategic alliances with the UAE, Turkey and Qatar have been established around project funding. The developer has also opened an investor-registration platform and conducted roadshows to attract local and international capital.
The immediate test for the relaunched Somali Airlines, when live, will be whether it can build a commercially viable network in a market where foreign carriers already operate.
bird story agency
Useful links for editors:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-16/somalia-national-airline-to-resume-service-after-35-years,https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2026-05-50-years-of-airbus-flying-in-africa
