News - Yemen: The management of Yemeni Airlines in Sana'a has accused the US-Saudi aggression of insincerity regarding the reopening of Sana'a International Airport.

It scheduled only one route from Sana'a to Amman, scheduled to start July 9, 2024. Yemeni Airlines stated this move is merely to alleviate international pressure without genuinely reopening the airport.

In a statement, the Yemeni Airlines administration in Sana'a criticized the coalition for continuing to keep Sana'a International Airport largely closed, with seats being sold outside Yemen. This action, they argue, is a clear evasion of responsibility and an attempt to increase the suffering of the Yemeni people while appearing cooperative to the international community.

The statement emphasized that this token gesture is unacceptable, describing it as an attempt to mislead and avoid fulfilling obligations to fully lift the restrictions on Sana'a Airport. The airport is crucial for providing navigational and humanitarian services to two-thirds of Yemen's population.

It indicated that the patchwork solutions and procrastination adopted by the Saudi aggression coalition are not useful and will not be accepted by the Yemeni leadership and people, except by the full and comprehensive opening of Sana'a International Airport.

Yemeni Airlines has submitted a schedule for flights to Cairo, India, and Jordan, requesting approval for these routes. The administration insists that access to air travel and destinations is a right guaranteed by international laws, charters, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The airline's management holds the Saudi-led coalition fully responsible for the ongoing blockade and the refusal to open Sana'a Airport. 

Over two weeks ago, a new crisis erupted at Sana'a Airport after Saudi authorities redirected a Yemen Airways return flight from Sana'a International Airport to Aden Airport. More than 1,300 Yemeni pilgrims refused to return via Aden Airport due to the additional costs and security risks associated with traveling through the airport, which is controlled by UAE-backed forces with a notorious record of human rights violations, including the detention and abuse of travelers. These pilgrims remained stranded at Jeddah Airport in Saudi Arabia. An Omani mediation intervened, leading to the pilgrims' return and the continuation of Yemen Airways' operations in Sana'a.

However, tensions resurfaced on Monday evening when Yemen Airways' management in Aden canceled a flight from Sana'a to the Jordanian capital, Amman, after previously announcing it. The company had published its Tuesday flight schedule, which included 14 flights, among them the Sana'a-Amman route, but later updated the schedule and removed that flight.