Somalia, 3 November 2025 — Somaliland has announced that all civil aircraft must obtain prior clearance before entering or operating in its airspace, as the territory seeks to reinforce its claim to independent airspace administration.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airports Development on Sunday said the directive will take effect on 10 November 2025 and will apply to both scheduled and non-scheduled flights, including commercial and general aviation.
Aircraft operating without authorization will be treated as violating Somaliland’s aviation rules and face legal consequences, the ministry said. It added that the measure aims to strengthen air safety, enhance aviation management, and ensure compliance with domestic and international aviation standards.
“Any flight operating without prior authorization will be considered an affront to national dignity and will face action in accordance with domestic and international law,” the ministry statement said.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains internationally unrecognised. It maintains it has the right to manage its own airspace.
However, the International Civil Aviation Organization recognizes the Federal Government of Somalia as the sole authority over Somali airspace, a responsibility formally returned to Mogadishu in 2018 after decades under UN oversight. Somalia assumed full operational control in 2023.
The move follows recent aviation policy steps by the Somali federal government, including the rollout of a centralized e-visa— a policy Somaliland has openly rejected.