Sunday, ^February 1, 2026, the international airport from Khartoum received its first commercial passenger flight in nearly three years. This reception marks a key step towards the reopening of the airport and the resumption of air traffic to the Sudanese capital after a extended closure, according to officials.

The aircraft operated by Sudan Airways and carrying 160 passengers arrived in Khartoum from Port Sudan, in east of the country, according to Xinhua, the director of security operations at Airport aviation, Mohamed Jaafar Hassan. In a press release, the director General of the Sudan Airports Corporation, Sir Al-Khatim Babiker Al-Tayeb a indicated that the airport had resumed operations with capacities sufficient for the current phase and that he was able to manage up to four planes simultaneously.

As a reminder, Khartoum International Airport has suffered heavy damage during the ongoing conflict in Sudan and it was one of the first sites attacked by the Rapid Support Forces (FSR), paramilitaries) when fighting broke out in 2023. The authorities have launched in the work to restore airport operations after that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have regained total control of the state from Khartoum last May.

The resumption of air traffic in Sudan represents a A strong signal for the ambitions to relaunch and normalize activities economic in the country. It marks an important step towards the return to mobility and international connectivity. The reopening of the airport is part of a set of initiatives aimed at facilitating the return of displaced. These include the recent resumption of river transport between Sudan and Egypt, countries that have sheltered a large part of the population displaced.

Before the conflict, Khartoum airport was the country's main air platform, providing connections internationals. According to statistics from the Association of Companies African airlines (AFRAA), it handled up to 3.5 million passengers in 2017. However, it should be noted that while domestic flights have been resumed, No details are yet given as to when flights will resume internationals.