2023 Destruction of aircraft at Khartoum airport
# 2023 Destruction of aircraft at Khartoum airport

On April 15-20, 2023, against the background of the Sudanese conflict, more than 10 civilian aircraft were destroyed or damaged at Khartoum Airport.

## Background

On the morning of April 15, 2023, clashes began between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Soon, RSF representatives announced that they had seized the capital's airport, although their opponents denied this. Another ceasefire was announced on April 18 at 18:00 local time, during which the fighting in the area of the air harbor subsided.

## Destruction

According to Flightradar24, on the first day of the conflict at Khartoum International Airport several aircraft of Saudia, Badr Airlines (completely destroyed on April 20) and SkyUp Airlines were damaged. Saudia later confirmed that one of its planes came under fire before takeoff, and all passengers, crew and staff were evacuated to the Saudi Embassy. Among the injured was a World Food Program (WFP) plane.

Satellite images published by Maxar Technologies on Monday, April 17, depicted major damage at airport. The first three images, which Maxar said were collected on Monday morning, display at least 14 airplanes destroyed and others damage at Khartoum International Airport. A New York Times analysis of satellite images from both Maxar and Planet Labs concluded that at least 20 planes were destroyed or damaged at the airport.

As of April 21, the following destroyed or damaged aircraft are known in Khartoum:

* Saudia Airbus A330-300, registration HZ-AQ30
* SkyUp Airlines Boeing 737-86Q, registration UR-SQH
* Badr Airlines Boeing 737-8AL, registration 4L-MWA
* Asia Cargo Airlines Boeing 737-300F, registration PK-YGW
* Belcanto Airlines [be] Ilyushin IL-76, registration EW-576TH
* One Ilyushin IL-62 registration ST-PRA (owned by the Government of Sudan)
* Three Ilyushin-76M
* Two AN-74
* One AN-12

Most of them were destroyed by the morning of April 17.

## Aftermath

Soon, flights of a number of airlines to and from Sudan were canceled. Fighting around the international airport and the destruction of civilian aircraft made it difficult to evacuate foreigners. This forced many to travel by car to Port Sudan, which is located about 650 km northeast of Khartoum. The destruction of the board of the WFP affected the organization's ability to move staff and provide assistance to people throughout the country.

## Other cases

On April 28, a Turkish evacuation plane was fired at the Wadi Saida airbase. The board needed repair, as the fuel system was damaged.

## Reflist

* 1 2 3 Badr Airlines Boeing 737-800 Destroyed In Khartoum International Airport As Clashes Intensify
* ↑ В Судане — попытка военного переворота. Силы местного реагирования заявили о захвате аэропортов и президентского дворца
* ↑ 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.
* ↑ Sudan updates: Explosions, shooting rock Khartoum
* 1 2 "Which countries have evacuated nationals from Sudan?". Al Jazeera. 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
* 1 2 Satellite Images Reveal Major Damage at Sudanese Airports
* ↑ Карточка борта ST-PRA
* ↑ At least 14 Aircraft damaged in Fighting at Khartoum Airport in Sudan
* ↑ "WFP temporarily halts operations in Sudan". BBC. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
* ↑ "Sudan's army accuses RSF of shooting at Turkish evacuation plane outside Khartoum". Al Arabiya. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
