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2023 Khartoum destruction of aircraft

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The 2023 Khartoum destruction of aircraft was the loss of several civilian aircraft that occurred during the battle of Khartoum.

On 15 April 2023, an armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), rival factions of the military government of Sudan, began, with the fighting concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region.

During this period, a total of 10 civilian aircraft were destroyed or damaged at Khartoum Airport.[1]

Background

See also: Battle of Khartoum (2023)

In the early morning of 15 April 2023, pro-RSF forces initiated a series of assaults on key installations in Khartoum, including the Khartoum International Airport.

The RSF also captured the presidential palace, the residence of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and attacked a military base. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, more commonly known as Hemedti, the commander of the RSF, claimed that his forces controlled most of the city's government buildings.[2][3] This claim was disputed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto leader of the Sudanese government.

The same day, several aerial attacks against the RSF targets were conducted by the SAF. Users on Facebook Live and Twitter documented the Sudanese Air Force flying above the city and striking the RSF targets.[4] On 17 April, the Sudanese government announced the closure of Sudan's airspace, initially limited solely to that of Khartoum.[5][6] A ceasefire was declared on April 18 at 18:00 local time, leading to a reduction in fighting in the vicinity of the airport.

Destruction

On 15 April according to Flightradar24, several aircraft belonging to Saudia, Badr Airlines, and SkyUp Airlines were damaged.[7] Later, Saudia confirmed that one of its planes was targeted before takeoff, leading to the evacuation of all passengers, crew, and staff to the Saudi Embassy.[8] Also among the damaged airframes was a plane operated by the World Food Program (WFP).[9]

Satellite images published by Maxar Technologies on Monday, April 17, revealed the extent of the damage at the airport. These showed at least 14 airplanes destroyed and various others damaged at Khartoum International Airport. A later analysis by The New York Times, using satellite images from both Maxar and Planet Labs, indicated that at least 20 planes were destroyed or damaged at the airport.[10] The Badr Airlines airplane was completely destroyed on April 20.[1]

As of April 21, the following destroyed or damaged aircraft were reported in Khartoum:[1][10]

Aftermath

Following the conflict and destruction at Khartoum International Airport, flights on several airlines to and from Sudan were promptly canceled.[12] The ongoing fighting in the vicinity of the airport and the destruction of civilian aircraft posed significant challenges for evacuating foreigners from the area. As a result, many individuals had no choice but to undertake long journeys by car to Port Sudan, approximately 650 km northeast of Khartoum.[9]

Furthermore, the destruction of the World Food Program's aircraft severely impacted the organization's capacity to transport staff and deliver assistance to people across the country.[13]

Other cases

On April 28, a Turkish evacuation plane came under fire at the Wadi Saida airbase. The aircraft's fuselage sustained damage, particularly to the fuel system, requiring major repairs.[14]

Reflist

  1. ^ a b c Badr Airlines Boeing 737-800 Destroyed In Khartoum International Airport As Clashes Intensify
  2. ^ "Sudan: Paramilitary group says it controls palace, Khartoum airport". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  3. ^ "Sudan's RSF say it seized presidential palace, Khartoum airport in apparent coup bid". Al Arabiya English. 2023-04-15. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  4. ^ "Fighting between Sudan military rivals enters a second day, with dozens dead". CNN. 2023-04-15. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  5. ^ Kaminski-Morrow2023-04-16T18:45:00+01:00, David. "Sudanese airspace closed as armed conflict erupts". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Sudan battles intensify on 3rd day; civilian deaths reach 97". opb. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  7. ^ Hogg, Ryan (April 15, 2023). "A Saudi Arabian airline said an A330 plane was involved in an 'accident' at Khartoum airport in Sudan". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  8. ^ Sudan updates: Explosions, shooting rock Khartoum
  9. ^ a b "Which countries have evacuated nationals from Sudan?". Al Jazeera. 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  10. ^ a b Satellite Images Reveal Major Damage at Sudanese Airports
  11. ^ Карточка борта ST-PRA
  12. ^ At least 14 Aircraft damaged in Fighting at Khartoum Airport in Sudan
  13. ^ "WFP temporarily halts operations in Sudan". BBC. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  14. ^ "Sudan's army accuses RSF of shooting at Turkish evacuation plane outside Khartoum". Al Arabiya. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
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