Sudan aims to reopen Khartoum International Airport in October, more than two years after it was forced to close amid intense clashes at the site in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Sudan Tribune reports that Prime Minister Kamel Idris announced during an official visit to Cairo last week that the reopening of the airport will coincide with the return of Sudan’s federal government and institutions to Khartoum from Port Sudan, their temporary base since April 2023. Sudan reopened its airspace to commercial flights in August 2023, but flights were limited to Port Sudan International.
This was confirmed by Sudan's assistant commander-in-chief Ibrahim Jaber who told reporters during a site visit on August 13 that repairs to the runway, terminals, and utilities had been completed, and that 85% of passenger facilities had been restored to international standards.
Sudan Airways (SD, Khartoum) is reportedly set to resume operations from Khartoum once the airport reopens, with the airline's staff returning to the city from Riyadh, where they had been relocated during the fighting.
The airport was extensively damaged when it was stormed and occupied by the RSF during the battle for the city which began on April 15, 2023, when the RSF launched coordinated attacks capturing key locations such as the airport, several military bases, and the presidential palace in an attempted coup. At least 20 civilian aircraft from various airlines were damaged or destroyed during the conflict.
In early 2025, the SAF launched offensives to reclaim the city, eventually expelling most RSF forces from most of Khartoum, including from the airport and presidential palace by March.
