Hargeisa: Three major aviation bodies and airlines including the International Air Transport Association (IATA), FlyDubai and Ethiopian Airlines have updated their travel guidance to confirm that passengers flying to Somaliland can obtain visas on arrival at Hargeisa Egal International Airport (HGA) and Berbera Airport (BBO). The moves came as the United States issued an urgent security alert following a large-scale breach of Somalia’s e-Visa system.
IATA was the first to update its global travel information yesterday, stating that visa-on-arrival is available at Somaliland airports, distinguishing them from Somalia’s illegal visa system. The notice explicitly lists Hargeisa as a destination where passengers can receive visas at the airport. Shortly afterwards, FlyDubai revised its own travel advisory, confirming that travellers headed to Somaliland may obtain visas upon arrival at both Hargeisa and Berbera. The airline’s guidance separates Somaliland’s entry procedures from Somalia’s e-Visa process and directs passengers accordingly.
Later in the day, Ethiopian Airlines issued an updated bulletin, clarifying that Somalia’s e-Visa requirements “do not apply to passengers arriving at Berbera (BBO) or Hargeisa Egal International (HGA).” The airline stated that passengers to Somaliland may obtain visas on arrival, reinforcing the Somaliland’s independently administered immigration controls. The wave of updates coincided with a security alert issued by the U.S. Embassy in Somalia, which confirmed that hackers had penetrated the Somalia’s e-Visa platform. The Embassy said the breach may have exposed personal information of at least 35,000 applicants, including thousands of U.S. citizens. Leaked data includes names, passport photos, dates and places of birth, marital status, email addresses, and home addresses
The U.S. government urged American citizens who used Somalia’s e-Visa system to immediately contact their nearest embassy and monitor for suspicious activity.
Analysis: Implications for Somaliland
The latest updates from IATA, FlyDubai and Ethiopian Airlines come at a moment that clearly underlines a long-standing reality: Somaliland runs its own borders, its own airports and its own visa system — entirely separate from Somalia. For years, Somaliland has maintained a reputation for being one of the more stable and predictable territories in the Horn of Africa. Its immigration procedures are straightforward, its airports are secure, and its entry visas are issued directly at Hargeisa and Berbera without relying on Somalia’s systems. The travel guidance issued yesterday by three major aviation actors openly reflects this arrangement.
The contrast with Somalia grew sharper after the United States confirmed a serious breach in Mogadishu’s e-Visa platform, exposing personal details of tens of thousands of applicants. The incident has raised doubts about the security of Somalia’s digital systems, and it has pushed travellers and airlines to pay closer attention to Somaliland’s more controlled, on-arrival visa process.
What is now happening across airline advisories and international travel systems is simple: Somaliland is being treated as a separate, well-managed and reliable destination. Airlines are directing passengers to follow Somaliland’s own rules, not Somalia’s. Aviation databases are listing Hargeisa and Berbera as independent entry points. And travellers are being guided toward a visa system that is viewed as safer and more stable.
Somaliland’s aviation and border systems operate on their own terms — stable, orderly and entirely separate from Somalia. The latest updates from IATA, FlyDubai and Ethiopian Airlines reflect this reality in full. In practice, Somaliland is already recognised as an independent, reliable and secure nation within international travel systems, and airlines are now adjusting their guidance to match the facts on the ground
Source: allafrica.com
