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Ahram Online
The first commercial flight in six years took off from the Yemeni rebel-held capital Sanaa on Monday.
“The Yemenia Airways flight carrying 151 passengers was bound for the Jordanian capital Amman”, according to media outlets run by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The aircraft arrived in Sanaa from the Southern port city of Aden. A video of the jet’s landing was shared on social media platforms showing a water salute ceremony welcoming the flight. The Houthi media office said, “a return flight was expected back to Sanaa from Amman later Monday”.
The flight is part of a United Nations brokered 60-day truce agreement which was signed by the internationally recognised government and the Houthi rebels last month. The truce was activated on April 2nd calling for two weekly commercial flights to and from Sanaa to Jordan and Egypt. The Houthi-held Sanaa is blockaded by the Saudi-led coalition in support of the internationally recognised government.
The closure of the airport has inflicted major economic and humanitarian damages on Yemen. Thousands had lost their jobs as businesses providing services closed or suffered heavy losses.
“Before the blockade, Sanaa International airport had an estimated operations of 6,000 passengers a day and over 2 million passengers every year”, said the Norwegian Refugee Council in Yemen.
The flight was initially due to take off on April 2nd but was delayed due to a dispute over the passports issued by the Houthis. However, this time the internationally recognised government allowed passengers with Houthi-issued documents to board the flight.
“New Yemeni passports will be issued in Jordan for those arriving with Houthi-issued travel documents”, Yemeni SABA news agency reported last week.
The truce allows entry of 18 vessels carrying fuel into the Red Sea port of Hodeida, controlled by the Houthis, over the course of two-months.
