A group of 20 pilots participating in a vintage aircraft flight across Africa were detained in Ethiopia for almost 48 hours after authorities accused them of unlawfully entering the country’s airspace on November 22. They were subsequently released on November 24 and allowed to fly on to Kenya. Ethiopian aviation officials had accused them of failing to comply with landing permit rules, which required them to land at Addis Ababa International Airport. They had instead landed at the regional capital Gambela after flying in from neighboring Sudan and were held by police at the airport.

According to Col. Wessenyeleh Hunegnaw, the landing permits were refused because foreign aircraft are required to clear immigration and customs processes in the capital Addis Ababa. He alleged that the pilots entered the country’s airspace without first receiving permission. Ethiopia is under a state of emergency and there is a strong military presence around Gambela due to tensions with nearby South Sudanese forces. The pilots participating in the Vintage Air Rally, which is due to end in South Africa, were from 20 different countries, mainly in Europe.