Since war broke out in Sudan almost three years ago, only one commercial flight was able to touch down in its capital, Khartoum. On Sunday, 1 February, a second plane operated by national flag carrier SUDANAIR landed at the airport, thus marking the return of commercial flights to the region.
According to the state-run SUNA news agency, the SUDANAIR flight took off from Port Sudan at the Red Sea on Sunday before landing at Khartoum International Airport in the afternoon. It can be seen as a new step in the government’s efforts to normalise life in Khartoum, which has been thoroughly disturbed over the past three years.
Great joy in Sudan’s capital as the first scheduled flight arrives from Port Sudan in eastern Sudan to Khartoum International Airport after a three-year suspension caused by the UAE 🇦🇪-backed RSF militia’s destabilization.
— Anas Awan (@AnasMAwan) February 2, 2026
pic.twitter.com/PVV8FGUG3K
Since April 2023, the open conflict between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has created what many consider to be the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. According to U.N. data, at least 40,000 people were killed, while some 14 million were forced to leave their homes and flee, causing disease outbreaks and famine.
On 20 January 2026, deputy ICC prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan declared to be investigating alleged crimes committed by the RSF during a briefing at the U.N. Security Council. Her office will be concentrating on violence against women, girls, and children. Based on the collected data, the prosecutor stated her office believes war crimes and crimes against humanity might have occurred, particularly during RSF’s siege of al-Fashir.
Significant moment! 🇸🇩
— AlMigdad Hassan (@AlMigdadHassan0) February 1, 2026
The first Sudan Airways flight from Port Sudan has landed in Khartoum with 160 passengers.
Just 10 months ago, this airport was a battlefield and in ruins. Today, it marks hope and a step toward recovery of the capital. pic.twitter.com/Jm1Udqgj7X
Flights to and from Khartoum
Since its outbreak, the conflict has been at least partially concentrated in Khartoum, leaving the city in pieces. Amongst other things, the government moved its ad interim seat to Port Sudan – less touched by the war – and Khartoum International Airport was severely damaged during the first weeks of the war, putting an end to all commercial flights.
Although privately owned Badr Airlines landed a flight at the airport in October 2025, the RSF put on a drone invasion to prevent its reopening. The SUDANAIR touching down on Sunday, 1 February, was thus the second commercial flight to land at the airport since the start of the war and should mark the start of a gradual return of operations. Authorities have announced they will be starting to repair airport facilities and equipment, which will eventually facilitate the return of displaced populations. Recently, river transport links between Sudan and Egypt have also been reinstated to that end.
The international airport in Khartoum has received its first scheduled commercial flight in more than two years as the Sudanese government continues to assert its control over Sudan’s capital city after years of fighting. pic.twitter.com/g74CJlBOfT
— Mohammed Kahiye Mohamud (@Qarikahiye) February 1, 2026
While Khartoum was once the country’s main airport hub and handled some 3.5 million passengers in 2017 according to the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), it is yet unclear when air traffic at the airport will return to such numbers. At the time of writing, no timeline has been shared by the government regarding the renovation of the airport and the resumption of international commercial flights to Khartoum.
