By - Reporter
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HARGEISA, Somalia, 25 October 2026 Somaliland said on Sunday it will not accept airline tickets issued through Somalia’s Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) for departures from its airports, effective immediately, in a directive from its civil aviation ministry.
The restriction applies to tickets already issued, including return tickets, whatever the date of issue, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airports Development said in a press release. It covers departures from Hargeisa Egal International Airport and Berbera International Airport.
Tickets for departures from Somaliland’s airports must be issued through authorised channels, the ministry said. These include airline websites and mobile apps, airline ticket offices, airport ticket counters, and travel agents licensed by its Department of Civil Aviation Regulation and Air Transport.
The department will give airlines a list of travel agents identified as potentially non-compliant, and airlines must tell them to regularise their licensing by 31 October, the ministry said. From 1 November, airlines may keep ticketing and distribution arrangements only with agents that meet Somaliland’s licensing and authorisation requirements.
Airlines must review their ticketing systems, distribution agreements and existing bookings, set up ticket-verification procedures and inform affected passengers, the ministry said. They must also coordinate with the department and airport authorities to minimise disruption.
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The release did not say why the directive was issued, which airlines or agents are affected, or how many passengers hold tickets issued through the BSP. It named no airline.
The BSP is a system run by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that lets accredited travel agents sell tickets for airlines and settle the payments through a clearing bank, according to IATA. It operates in more than 180 countries and territories.
Somalia relaunched it in Mogadishu on 18 October.