First commercial flight in 11 years

As a sign of improved security in Somalia's capital, the first commercial flight in more than a decade left Mogadishu's newly reopened international airport on Sunday.

The city, considered one of the most dangerous places in the world, is under the jurisdiction of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls much of southern Somalia.

"We had two flights by Jubba Airlines to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday," said Abdirahin Aden Weheliye, the airport manager.

Another Jubba flight arrived in Mogadishu at 6:30 am local time on Monday, with 98 passengers from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Jubba, a locally owned airline, used to operate out of Balidogle airport, 110 km northwest of Mogadishu.

Weheliye said the UIC had secured the city and the airport "was now open for business. We expect other airlines to use the facility soon."

Since the UIC took control of Mogadishu, they have removed dozens of checkpoints manned by different militias that were loyal to warlords who used to control the city and its environs.

The arrival and departure of the first passengers from the airport in almost 11 years attracted hundreds of curious onlookers.

"There were hundreds of people trying to get a glimpse of the airline," said a local journalist, who was at the airport. "It brought back memories of better days and hope for a better future. It brought tears to my eyes, happy tears."

The operations manager of Jubba Airlines, Said Qalinle, told IRIN on Monday: "Yesterday morning, we took 98 passengers from Mogadishu to Dubai and in the afternoon another 124." He added that when it had operated out of Balidogle, buses hired by the airline to carry passengers to the airport had to pass seven checkpoints and pay "up to [US] $1,000 per flight", to the militia manning the checkpoints.