The link that stopped
Ethiopian Airlines temporarily stopped flights to Mekelle, Axum and Shire from Wednesday. It cited the situation in Tigray. Mekelle is the regional capital, and Axum and Shire are cities in the same region. Flightradar24 showed the Mekelle–Addis Ababa service cancelled on Wednesday morning.[1]
When the civilian schedule stops, the regular bridge between Addis Ababa and Mekelle stops with it. Passengers, medical evacuation and ordinary cargo depended on these 3 airfields. The airline's notice does not say who is standing watch on the runway. It says the aircraft is not landing.[1]
The claim and the runway
Local sources quoted by Reuters and AFP said Tigrayan forces took Alula Aba Nega Airport from federal police overnight. An employee told AFP that a supervisor said Tigray forces had taken the airport and that staff should turn back because no flights remained. A foreign security source in Ethiopia gave AFP the same account. A Reuters report carried by the Canberra Times added that 4 sources described fighting in Tigray, Afar and Amhara. Those are claims. They are not a photograph of the runway.[1]
The usable fact is that 3 civilian airfields have left the schedule. The aircraft stays away if control is later confirmed, and it stays away if federal police are still found in the terminal. In that second case the halt is a precaution: the carrier cuts the route when it sees risk, and a takeover is unfinished. Confirmation is a company notice that services have resumed, or a named official saying who holds Alula Aba Nega.[1]