2023 Khartoum destruction of aircraft

In the early morning of 15 April 2023, pro-RSF forces initiated a series of assaults on key installations in Khartoum, including the Khartoum International Airport.

The RSF also captured the presidential palace, the residence of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and attacked a military base. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, more commonly known as Hemedti, the commander of the RSF, claimed that his forces controlled most of the city's government buildings.[2][3] This claim was disputed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto leader of the Sudanese government.

The same day, several aerial attacks against the RSF targets were conducted by the SAF. Users on Facebook Live and Twitter documented the Sudanese Air Force flying above the city and striking the RSF targets.[4] On 17 April, the Sudanese government announced the closure of Sudan's airspace, initially limited solely to that of Khartoum.[5][6] A ceasefire was declared on April 18 at 18:00 local time, leading to a reduction in fighting in the vicinity of the airport.

On 15 April according to Flightradar24, several aircraft belonging to Saudia, Badr Airlines, and SkyUp Airlines were damaged.[7] Later, Saudia confirmed that one of its planes was targeted before takeoff, leading to the evacuation of all passengers, crew, and staff to the Saudi Embassy.[8] Also among the damaged airframes was a plane operated by the World Food Program (WFP).[9]

Satellite images published by Maxar Technologies on Monday, April 17, revealed the extent of the damage at the airport. These showed at least 14 airplanes destroyed and various others damaged at Khartoum International Airport. A later analysis by The New York Times, using satellite images from both Maxar and Planet Labs, indicated that at least 20 planes were destroyed or damaged at the airport.[10] The Badr Airlines airplane was completely destroyed on April 20.[1]

As of April 21, the following destroyed or damaged aircraft were reported in Khartoum:[1][10]

• 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 Ilyushin IL-76, registration EW-576TH
• One Ilyushin IL-62, registration ST-PRA (owned by the Government of Sudan)[11]
• Three Ilyushin-76M
• Two AN-74
• One AN-12

Following the conflict and destruction at Khartoum International Airport, flights on several airlines to and from Sudan were promptly canceled.[12] The ongoing fighting in the vicinity of the airport and the destruction of civilian aircraft posed significant challenges for evacuating foreigners from the area. As a result, many individuals had no choice but to undertake long journeys by car to Port Sudan, approximately 650 km northeast of Khartoum.[9]

Furthermore, the destruction of the World Food Program's aircraft severely impacted the organization's capacity to transport staff and deliver assistance to people across the country.[13]

On April 28, a Turkish evacuation plane came under fire at the Wadi Saida airbase. The aircraft's fuselage sustained damage, particularly to the fuel system, requiring major repairs.[14]

• Badr Airlines 737 amongst aircraft destroyed at Khartoum Airport
• Падчас спробы перавароту ў Судане пацярпеў грузавы самалёт беларускай кампаніі, там цяпер 10 беларусаў