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At least 25 people have died, and two large commercial aircraft have been heavily damaged as the ongoing civil war in Sudan escalated in Khartoum on April 15. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese armed forces (SAF) clashed, with RPG fire and gunfire causing a Saudia A330-300 and a SkyUp Airlines B737-800 to catch fire. The RSF has been resisting a power-sharing deal that would see them integrated into the SAF, and on Saturday morning, they took control of Khartoum Airport. Social media footage shows black smoke billowing from the aircraft parked at remote stands, with gunfire and explosions in the background.

The SkyUp B737-800 has been in Sudan since the beginning of the year under an ACMI contract with Sun Air (Sudan) and has been operating flights to Cairo International, Jeddah, and Riyadh. The aircraft has been identified as UR-SQH, and the Saudi A330-300 has been identified as HZ-AQ30. The Saudi A330 had operated a scheduled flight from Riyadh earlier on Saturday. A Saudia spokesperson has said that its emergency team has responded to the incident to gather more details and ascertain the damage to the plane.

All flights to and from Khartoum have been cancelled. Multiple airlines, including Air Arabia, flydubai, EgyptAir, flynas, Saudia, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, issued statements saying their flights to Khartoum have been suspended. Flight tracking ADS-B data shows that other airlines are also detouring to avoid Sudanese airspace.

The ongoing hostilities between the RSF and SAF have caused concern for the safety of travellers and civilians in Sudan. The ch-aviation PRO airports module shows that 24 airlines fly in and out of Khartoum, providing approximately 100 aircraft movements daily. In addition to the airlines mentioned above, airlines servicing the airport include Afriqiyah Airways, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Air Arabia Egypt, Berniq Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, flyadeal, Kenya Airways, Nile Air, Royal Jordanian, Safe Air, SalamAir, Turkish Airlines, and Yemenia. Sudanese carriers, including Sun Air, Badr Airlines, Nova Airways, Sudan Airways, and Tarco Aviation, have all suspended flight operations.

The situation is evolving, and there are reports that the RSF has seized control of other airports in Sudan, including Merowe. However, the SAF has denied these reports and has been flying jets low over the capital to flush out the RSF forces. The ongoing conflict has caused concern for the safety of civilians and travellers in Sudan, and it is unclear when flights to and from Khartoum will resume.

In conclusion, the ongoing conflict in Sudan has caused chaos and destruction, with at least 25 people dead and commercial aircraft destroyed in Khartoum. With flights cancelled and airlines suspending operations, the situation remains fluid, and travellers are advised to check with their airlines before attempting to fly to or from Khartoum. The international community must take swift action to resolve the conflict and ensure the safety of civilians in Sudan.