News - Yemen: The Supreme Medical Committee of the Ministry of Health has officially stated that the abrupt halt of Yemenia Airlines flights from Sana'a International Airport to its only destination has had disastrous consequences for patients in need of medical treatment abroad.

In a press release, the committee outlined that it had received numerous complaints from dozens of patients who had diligently arranged their hospital placements overseas, only to find themselves stranded due to the suspension of flights.

The committee urgently called for Sana'a International Airport to be exempt from any political bargaining, recognizing its vital role as a humanitarian lifeline for thousands of patients. It renewed its plea to reopen the routes to Egypt and India from Sana'a Airport as essential destinations for Yemeni patients.

The statement emphasized that approximately 60,000 patients in Yemen with incurable conditions, along with tens of thousands registered in medical centers, await their chance to travel from Sana'a Airport. Their health conditions make distant airports such as Aden and Sayoun inaccessible.

Furthermore, the committee appealed to global citizens and humanitarian organizations to exert pressure aimed at lifting the blockade enforced by the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression on Yemen for nearly a decade. This blockade, it noted, lies at the heart of the humanitarian crisis, and it urged efforts to alleviate the situation without any compromise that could harm Yemen's critical humanitarian conditions.

Yemenia Airways has suspended flights to and from Sana'a International Airport under pressure from the US-Saudi aggression, which is viewed as an attempt to disrupt the ongoing Omani-mediated peace process.

Reuters has reported that Yemenia Airways will cease its flights between Sana'a and Jordan, beginning on October 1st.

On 9 August 2016, the Saudi-led coalition imposed restrictions on Yemen’s airspace resulting in the closure of Sana’a Airport to commercial flights, trapping millions of Yemenis in a war zone and preventing the free movement of humanitarian and commercial goods from entering through this route. As a result, thousands of Yemenis with long-term health conditions such as cancer, kidney, liver and blood conditions have died while waiting for treatment unavailable in Yemen.

The closure of the airport has also led to an almost complete halt to commercial cargo such as medicine, medical supplies and equipment coming into the country. Coupled with restrictions on Hodeidah port, this has caused prices of some medicine to double, making it unaffordable for most of the population and further contributing to the decline of Yemen’s health system, already decimated by the aggression.

With the beginning of the truce last year, the aggression tried to evade its commitment to open Sana'a airport and make flights only to one destination, Jordan, and for a very limited number.

Sana'a confirmed more than once that the continued closure of Sana'a airport proves the lack of seriousness of theUS-Saudi aggression to bring peace to Yemen.