The Somali government has acquired two A320-200s and aims to revive long-dormant Somali Airlines (1964) (Mogadishu) by the end of the third quarter of 2025.
"This company will be operational, God willing, within two months. We have acquired two aircraft, which will be flown in for us, and after these two are deployed they will be followed by two more," Minister of Transport and Aviation Mohamed Farah Nuuh said during a press conference in Mogadishu on July 28.
The government said it acquired the aircraft from Lima Holding Group. ch-aviation was not able to independently verify the identity of the lessor or the aircraft.
Nuuh said that the state-owned carrier will operate international routes to promote economic growth in Somalia. The decision to revive the flag carrier comes shortly after the government committed to building a new international airport at Mahay. The foundation stone for the new facility, which will eventually replace Mogadishu, was laid on June 30, 2025. The new airport will have an initial capacity for 8 million passengers per year and is scheduled to open by the end of the 2020s.
The Somali flag carrier stopped flight operations in 1991 when the country became engulfed in a civil war. The previous government flagged a plan to revive the airline in an interview with ch-aviation in 2023, but so far nothing has emerged from these ambitions.
