For 26 years, Omar al-Bashir ruled Sudan with a firm hand. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the dictator on the grounds of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the ongoing Darfur conflict. As a result, far-reaching sanctions were imposed on the country for a long time.
This still affects the national airline Sudan Airways today. Even though the sanctions were partially lifted after the fall of al-Bashir, only one of its six aircraft is still operational, an almost 13-year-old Airbus A320. With the plane, the airline operates flights from Khartoum to Port Sudan and Juba as well as to Cairo.
Better connections to Sudan
That's supposed to change. Finance and Economics Minister Ibrahim Al-Badawi announced last week that the Sudanese government has approved a fleet renewal plan drawn up by Airbus. Sudan Airways is to receive eight new Airbus planes. The minister did not explain which model the airline will choose. The government's goal, however, is to use the national airline to better connect Sudan to the world again, as Al-Badawi explained according to news agency Suna.
