Sometimes the quiet hum of a runway feels like a heartbeat for a community — a rhythm of comings and goings, of reunions and journeys yet to unfold. In northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region, that hum faded on a chilly Thursday, as the familiar rise and descent of aircraft was interrupted. Ethiopian Airlines, the country’s flag carrier and a symbol of national connectivity for many, canceled its scheduled flights to Tigray’s airports — a pause that felt to locals not just like a rerouting of travel, but a momentary withholding of a lifeline.

In Mekelle and beyond, travelers waking early for flights found terminals quiet and ticket counters offering more questions than answers. The cancellations come amid a flare-up of clashes between regional actors and Ethiopia’s national forces — echoes of a graver conflict that once enveloped the region for years before a peace agreement was signed in late 2022. These renewed tensions have stirred a sense of uncertainty in everyday life, where the smooth arc of a scheduled flight has come to symbolize both normalcy and hope.

For many residents, the disruption extended beyond transport. As news of the canceled flights spread, people began lining up at banks across Mekelle, hoping to withdraw cash. But the ATMs and counters — usually a reliable backdrop to daily commerce — were depleted, leaving queues stretching down city streets and impatience simmering beneath polite conversation. It was a scene that seemed to mirror deeper worries: when the normal rhythms of life falter, even small routines can feel fragile.

The renewed clashes in the region’s western stretches have ignited concerns among diplomats and local officials alike. Though the full scale of the confrontations has not been detailed by authorities, the mere presence of hostilities recalls the long shadow of the war that brought immense hardship to Tigray between 2020 and 2022, displacing millions and costing countless lives. The peace pact that followed was fragile, and remnants of disagreement — over territory, disarmament and governance — have persisted, creating a backdrop of latent tension that now seems to bubble closer to the surface.

In the suspended rhythm of airports, travelers shared quiet frustrations. Some had hoped to visit relatives, others to carry on with business delayed by the region’s uneven recovery after conflict. Flights to Mekelle, Axum, Shire and Humera — once upbeat threads weaving distant towns to the capital Addis Ababa — were suddenly unstitched for the day, though ticket offices reported that services might resume in coming days, depending on conditions on the ground.

Officials from Ethiopian Airlines have not released a formal explanation for the cancellations, and at times like these the absence of a clear announcement can feel as heavy as the grounded metal of parked aircraft that normally carry passengers northward. Yet this pause is not the first interruption in recent years. The airline has a history of adjusting services to and from the region in response to conflict or security directives, and each change serves as a reminder that stability — in flight plans as in everyday life — depends on far more than routes on a map.

For now, families and business travelers wait, looking to official channels for updates and reassurance. Travel advisories remain in effect, and the landscape of movement — whether by air, road or word of mouth — is as susceptible to the rhythms of peace and unrest as ever. As Tigray’s people navigate this moment, the silent runways speak quietly of journeys paused, of connections on hold, and of a region still seeking the steady beat of uninterrupted passage.

In the midst of these developments, the broader patterns of security and mobility in Ethiopia continue to evolve, shaping how communities connect with one another and the world beyond. Life’s routines — from the heartbeats of airports to the daily necessity of cash in hand — ebb and flow with these larger currents, as individuals and families adapt to circumstances that are both unexpected and deeply felt.

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Sources (credible news outlets reporting this):

Thomson Reuters / The EastAfrican News Channel Africa News Devdiscourse News Desk AllAfrica (Addis Standard) EWN (Eyewitness News)