Press Release
July 23, 2014
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 23, 2014 – There has been no recent FAA warning for flights in or out of Ethiopia. The FAA flight prohibition (SFAR 87 of May 16, 2000) pertaining to Northern Ethiopia predates the June 18, 2000 cessation of hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea and has not been updated subsequently. The FAA advisory (KFDC A0012/97) pertaining to Ethiopia/Kenya dates to 2002.
Neither the FAA flight prohibition nor the FAA advisory was issued after Flight MH 17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17, as some media outlets have erroneously reported. Both the Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) No. 87 and the FAA advisory apply only to U.S. air carriers or commercial operators.
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FAA Prohibits US Planes in Ethiopian Airspace North of 12 Degrees Latitude
Image courtesy: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Tadias Magazine
News Update
Published: Saturday, July 19th, 2014
New York (TADIAS) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it has prohibited all U.S. air carriers and commercial operators from flying in Ethiopian airspace north of 12 degrees latitude as precaution following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
The Washington Post reports that the “FAA expanded an existing regulation that prohibited certain flights from operating in the region. The FAA regularly issues airspace restrictions and prohibitions for U.S. aircraft traveling through potentially hostile airspace.”
The FAA document entitled ‘Special Federal Aviation Regulation No. 87 – Prohibition against Certain Flights Within the Territory and Airspace of Ethiopia’ states that “This Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) applies to all U.S. air carriers or commercial operators, all persons exercising the privileges of an airman certificate issued by the FAA unless that person is engaged in the operation of a U.S.-registered aircraft for a foreign air carrier, and all operators using aircraft registered in the United States except where the operator of such aircraft is a foreign air carrier.”
In describing the “potentially hostile situation” in the Horn of Africa the advisory notes that “Aircraft that cross into Ethiopian airspace while taking off or landing at Mandera Airstrip in Kenya may be fired upon by Ethiopian forces. Mandera is located in the extreme northeastern corner of Kenya, adjacent Ethiopia and Somalia. Operators considering flights to northeastern Kenya should familiarize themselves with the current situation.”
Other countries where the American flight prohibitions apply include Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Congo, Egypt Sinai Peninsula, Iran, Kenya, Mali, Syria and Yemen.
The document adds that the special regulation will remain in effect until further notice from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Click here to read FAA’s flight advisory and prohibition for U.S. aircraft in Ethiopia.
Video: Malaysia Reeling: Second Air Disaster in Four Months
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Related:
Ukraine: Russians Shot Down Malaysia Flight (VOA News)