In brief
- Somaliland Standard reported on 2019-12-22 that an Ethiopian airline flight scheduled to land at Hargeisa around 8 pm was diverted to Addis Ababa after the runway lights were not working.
- The report does not state whether the lights were repaired, whether any investigation followed, or what caused the outage.
On 22 December 2019, Somaliland Standard reported that an Ethiopian airline flight from Addis Ababa scheduled to land at Hargeisa airport around 8 pm on "last night" could not land because the runway lights were not working. According to Somaliland Standard, the flight was diverted back to Addis Ababa. The article does not establish what happened after that night: whether the lights were restored, whether any investigation or regulatory action followed, or whether any other flights were affected.
The report states that the runway lights were not working at the time of the scheduled landing. According to Somaliland Standard, the pilot notified passengers on board that the plane could not land because the runway was dark and diverted the flight back to Addis Ababa. The report does not name the carrier, describing it only as an "Ethiopian airline flight," and does not state the aircraft type, flight number, number of passengers or any damage.
The date of the incident itself is not fixed by the report. Somaliland Standard's article is dated 2019-12-22 and refers to "last night," so the night of 21 December 2019 is an inference from the report, not a date the article states. The report does not establish what caused the lights to be out, who operates and maintains Hargeisa airport's runway lighting, or whether any authority has confirmed, denied or explained the failure.
For anyone moving freight or passengers through Hargeisa, the material facts remain narrow: one reported night, one reported diversion, one reported condition of the lighting. The report does not say that the lighting was subsequently repaired or replaced, does not say that it remains out, and does not present the diversion as evidence of a wider or ongoing infrastructure problem. No official statement from Somaliland aviation authorities, the airport operator or the carrier is cited in the article.
The gap after 2019-12-22 is the story the report leaves open: whether the runway lighting was restored, when and by whom, and whether any inspection or contract followed. On the evidence available, that remains unestablished.
Frequently asked questions
What caused the runway lights to go dark at Hargeisa airport?
Somaliland Standard's report does not state a cause. It reports only that the runway lights were not working on the night described.
How long was the outage and which flights were affected?
The report describes one incoming flight from Addis Ababa that was scheduled to land around 8 pm and was diverted back to Addis Ababa. It does not state how long the lights were out or whether other flights were affected.
Has the runway lighting been repaired?
The report does not say whether the lighting was restored, when, or by whom. No post-2019 status is established in the evidence available.