During the
1982 Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, the airport was bombed by several waves of
Ethiopian Air Force jets. The attackers launched bombs and rockets at both the
runway and the
anti-aircraft defenses protecting it, but missed their targets. The runway which at the time was in the process of being extended, was undamaged by the attack. Like most of Galkayo, the Abdullahi Yusuf Airport is administered by the autonomous
Puntland government. It has acted as a buffer zone between the
divided city's two main divisions. Taxes collected by the airport authority are split equally between the Puntland and
Galmudug administrations, facilitating relations between the two regional authorities. On 25 March 2012, the facility was officially renamed in memory of the late Colonel
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, the former President of Somalia, who was born in Galkayo. ==Airlines and destinations==