In a significant development for Sudan’s war-torn capital, a domestic commercial flight operated by national carrier SUDANAIR successfully landed at Khartoum International Airport on Sunday. This marks only the second commercial arrival since devastating conflict erupted nearly three years ago in the northeastern African nation.
The state-run SUNA news agency confirmed the aircraft departed from Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, which had temporarily served as the government’s administrative headquarters until authorities relocated back to Khartoum earlier this year. The flight’s arrival represents a crucial milestone in governmental efforts to restore normalcy to the capital city, which has endured extensive destruction during prolonged hostilities between the national military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
This event follows an October landing by privately-owned Badr Airlines, which was met with RSF drone attacks attempting to disrupt airport operations. The military subsequently regained control of Khartoum from the paramilitary group earlier last year.
The conflict originated in April 2023 from a violent power struggle between the military and RSF that rapidly escalated into full-scale warfare. Khartoum International Airport sustained severe damage during the initial weeks of fighting, crippling the nation’s aviation infrastructure.
According to United Nations estimates, the devastating war has claimed over 40,000 lives, though humanitarian organizations caution that actual fatalities likely far exceed this figure. The conflict has generated the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 14 million people while triggering widespread disease outbreaks and pushing multiple regions toward famine conditions.