Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa International) and Jambojet (JM, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) have suspended their international flights to Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, after M23 rebels backed by the Rwandan military attacked the city and the airport, forcing the closure of local airspace. Domestic flights have also reportedly been halted.
UN special representative and head of the local MONUSCO (UN Peacekeeping) mission, Bintou Keita, said during a briefing with the UN Security Council on January 26 that M23 had "declared the airspace over Goma closed". She added that UN personnel and civilians in the city were trapped with no flights arriving or departing. Flightradar24 ADS-B data confirms that no flights have taken place since, although tracking coverage in the region is thin and does not cover all movements.
On January 28, the spokesperson for M23, Willy Ngoma, said on X that the airport was now secured but flights had yet to resume. There is no Notice to Air Personnel (NOTAM) in force mandating the closure of Goma Airport or imposing any other official restrictions on operations in the region.
Goma is a border town close to Rwanda and has seen frequent fighting involving various groups of Congolese rebels, some with Rwandan backing, over the last 30-odd years.
