Somali Airlines

General

Somali Airlines was founded on 5 March 1964 as the newly independent Somalia's national airline.[3] The country's then civilian government and Alitalia owned equal shares in the company,[3] with each holding a 50% controlling stake. Under a five-year agreement, Alitalia provided the airline with technical support. According to Somali Airlines' Director at the time, Abdulahi Shireh, the carrier was established primarily to more effectively connect the capital Mogadishu to other regions in the nation.[4] Shortly after the carrier was formed, four Douglas DC-3s were donated by the United States. The airline began operations in July 1964, initially serving domestic destinations with a fleet of three DC-3s and two Cessna 180s. Prior to this, local services had been operated by Aden Airways. The Mogadishu–Aden run kept being flown under a pool agreement with Aden Airways until March 1965, when Somali Airlines embarked on serving the route to this destination with its own aircraft. A service to Nairobi was later launched in January 1966. It was discontinued in 6 the same year, after the carrier was banned from flying into Kenyan airspace following Radio Mogadishu airing verbal attacks against the Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta. A weekly service to Dar-es-Salaam was introduced in October 1967.

At March 1970, the airline's president was Abdi Mohamed Namus, who employed 120 workers. At this time, the fleet consisted of two Cessna 185s, three DC-3s and four Viscount 700s. One of these Viscounts (6O-AAJ) experienced an accident while landing at Mogadishu on 6 May 1970. The aircraft was on final approach when the crew realised that the flight controls were not responding. Control of the aircraft was partly gained by the use of power, but the airframe landed hard, causing the nose gear to collapse. Five people were killed in the accident, out of 30 occupants on board. In early 1974, a contract with Tempair for the provision of a Boeing 720B, to be deployed on the Mogadishu–London route, as well as on flights within Africa and to the Middle East, was signed; the agreement effectively came into being in April 1974. In late 1975, two Fokker F27s were acquired.[5] In 1976, the company purchased two Boeing 720Bs from American Airlines, the two last ones in service with the American carrier.[6] It also ordered a further two Boeing 707s.[4] Somali Airlines later became a fully state-owned company in 1977, when the government acquired 49% of the shares held by Alitalia.

By July 1980, the fleet consisted of two Boeing 707-320Cs, two Boeing 720Bs, two Fokker F27-600s, two DC-3s, one Cessna 402 and one Cessna 180.[7] Colonel Mohamoud Gulaid was appointed chairman and CEO during 1983. At 1985, the number of employees was 714 and the fleet had reduced to include two Boeing 707-320Cs and two F.27-600s, with routes operated from Berbera and Mogadishu to Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Frankfurt, Jeddah, Nairobi and Rome. In February 1987, a new route to Banjul and Conakry was launched, and a firm order for an Airbus A310-300 was placed late that year, with an option for another one; the aircraft was aimed at replacing the 707 fleet on routes to Europe and the Middle East.[8]

Suspension

Due to the outbreak of the civil war all of the carrier's operations were officially suspended in 1991.[9] The void created by the collapse of the airline has since been filled by various Somali-owned private carriers, such as Jubba Airways, Daallo Airlines and Puntair.[10]

Relaunch

In April 2012, former Somali Airlines pilots, Abikar Nur and Ahmed Elmi Gure, met with aviation officials at the Lufthansa Flight Training Center in Phoenix, United States, to discuss the possibility of resuming the historic working relationship between Somali Airlines and Lufthansa. The meeting ended with a pledge by the school's chairman, Captain Matthias Kippenberg, to assist the Somali aviation authorities in training prospective pilots.

In July 2012, Mohammed Osman Ali (Dhagah-tur), the General Director of the Ministry of Aviation and Transport, announced that the Somali government had begun preparations to revive the national carrier, Somali Airlines.[11] The Somali authorities along with the Somali Civil Aviation Steering Committee (SCASC) — a joint commission composed of officials from Somalia's federal and regional governments as well as members of the CACAS, ICAO/TCB and UNDP, convened with international aviation groups in Montreal to request support for the ongoing rehabilitation efforts. The SCASC set a three-year window for reconstruction of the national civil aviation capacity. It also requested the complete transfer of Somali civil aviation operations and assets from the CACAS caretaker body to the Somali authorities.

In November 2013, the German-based Skyliner reported that a new Boeing 737-400 cargo airliner was scheduled to be transferred from Budapest airport to Mogadishu by the end of December.[12] The plane was concurrently being painted in the Somali national colours ahead of delivery.[13] A staff representative for the Slovakian SAMair company, Zsolt Kovács, also indicated that another aircraft was also undergoing construction at the airport and that both planes had been purchased from SAMair by the Somali federal authorities on behalf of Somali Airlines.[12]

In December 2017, Somalia’s Minister of Transport, Mohamed Abdullahi Salad, held a closed-door meeting with former employees of Somali Airlines. The meeting focused on early discussions around reviving the national carrier and evaluating the steps required to bring it back.[14]

Later that month, Somalia took back full control of its airspace for the first time in 27 years. The responsibility was handed over to the Somali Civil Aviation Authority in Mogadishu, ending years of management from outside the country. [15][16]

In October 2022, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation announced the formation of a seven-member committee. The committee was tasked with drafting a plan to relaunch Somali Airlines. They were given one month to assess the viability of reviving Somali Airlines and to submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.[17][18][19][20]

In January 2023, Somalia’s airspace was upgraded to Class A after almost 30 years of disruption. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority began managing Class A airspace over the Mogadishu Flight Information Region (FIR), following coordination with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).[21][22][23]

In 2024, in an interview on Somali National Television (SNTV), Director of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority affirmed the government’s operational readiness. He said the authority is fully prepared and has the capacity to certify the airline, issue air operator approvals, and license both flight crew and maintenance personnel. He emphasized that if Somali Airlines were to commence operations tomorrow, all necessary regulatory support is already in place.[24]

He also revealed that he served on the committee overseeing the relaunch preparations. According to him, the committee has successfully resolved all outstanding legacy documentation, regulatory challenges, operational issues, and other matters inherited from the former Somali Airlines.[24]

Also in 2024, the Somali government began training future Somali Airlines pilots through the newly established Gamtecs Aviation Academy in Mogadishu. The academy, which does not admit members of the general public, recruited certified instructors and launched training programs exclusively for government-assigned cadets. Training utilized two Cessna aircraft, 6O-AAK (Cessna 172RG) and 6O-AAJ (Cessna FR172J), for initial flight instruction.[25][26]

According to Somali National Television (SNTV), cadets who successfully complete their Private Pilot Licence in Mogadishu would be sent to Italy, specifically Milan, thorough a government partnership with an Italian flight school. There they will pursue advanced certifications including the Commercial Pilot License (CPL), Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL), and aircraft type ratings. The report said that some pilots will work for Somali Airlines and others will join the Somali Air Force.[27][28]

On 23 March 2025, the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Mohamed Abdullahi Farah, stated the government’s intention to bring Somali Airlines back into service. He confirmed that the first phase would focus on regional flights and rebuilding the airline step by step.[29]

Following the March announcement, in May 2025, the government appointed Abdulahi Iman as the airline’s Chief Executive Officer. The move marked the first tangible step toward the airline’s operational revival, transitioning from planning to implementation.[30]

Official revival

On 28 July 2025, the Somali government officially revived Somali Airlines after 34 years without operations in international and regional routes. Speaking on Somali National Television, the Minister of Transport announced that a purchase agreement was signed with Lema Holdings (which is a global holding company with interests across various sectors) for two Airbus A320 aircraft, and he confirmed that the deal was finalized at the Prime Minister’s office in Mogadishu after several months of negotiations, including meetings held in multiple countries.[2]

The Minister stated that the airline is expected to commence operations within two months, with further acquisitions anticipated. He emphasized that the revival aims to reduce dependency on foreign carriers, expand access for the Somali diaspora, create employment opportunities for young professionals, and support national economic development. This effort, he said, is part of a broader self-reliance strategy under the administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre.[2]

In his statement, the Minister affirmed that the aircraft were purchased by the Somali government and are owned by the Somali people, reflecting the country’s intention to reestablish its civil aviation sector. He also indicated plans to expand the fleet with an immediate goal of acquiring at least three more planes beyond the initial two Airbus A320s, potentially including larger aircraft for international routes.[2][31]

On the 27th of October, the Minister announced that the final preparations were in place and that Somali Airlines is poised to resume operation by the beginning of 2026. He stated "I want to share good news with the Somali people - before the end of this year, Somali Airlines will officially resume operations."[32]