KHARTOUM, Sudan / ISTANBUL

Khartoum International Airport received its first civilian passenger flight on Wednesday, ending a shutdown that lasted two and a half years, Sudanese authorities said.

“The Badr Airlines flight landed moments ago at Khartoum International Airport, marking the airport’s reopening and the gradual return of air operations from the capital after a long suspension,” the airport authority said in a statement on US social media company Facebook.

It described the airport’s reopening as “an important step toward the recovery of Sudan’s aviation sector and the gradual resumption of air traffic.”

The reopening came hours after Sudanese air defenses intercepted a drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeting the capital early Wednesday, the second such attack in 24 hours.

The airport had been closed for 921 days since fighting broke out between the army and the RSF in April 2023.

On Monday night, the Civil Aviation Authority announced plans to reopen the airport on Wednesday. However, a subsequent drone attack near the airport sparked renewed concerns about safety.

The closure of Khartoum International Airport, a major aviation hub centrally located in Sudan, brought much of the country’s air traffic to a halt.

The Sudanese army and the RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.