A photograph from January 26, 2010, shows an Ethiopian Boeing 777 aircraft departing a hangar in Nairobi. This image predates the March 10, 2019, crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that resulted in 157 fatalities.
The U.S. Department of State issued a security alert on March 8, 2019, advising citizens against traveling to Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa due to planned protests. The warning specifically stated: "U.S. Government travelers have been advised not to arrive or depart Bole International Airport on March 10."
The Ethiopian Airlines flight, operating from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, lost contact six minutes after takeoff at 08:38 local time. All 149 passengers and eight crew members aboard the aircraft perished in the crash.
The alert followed escalating tensions in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, where protests over land rights had spread across nearly 10 cities since March 7, 2019. These demonstrations, primarily involving the Oromo ethnic group, had already prompted prior security measures.
Ethiopian Airlines had acquired the Boeing 737 Max aircraft in July 2018. Flight tracking data indicated the plane’s maiden voyage in October 2018, with reports of unstable vertical speed during ascent.
