News - Yemen: Yemen's Minister of Transport Major General Abdulwahab Al-Durra, has affirmed that the US-Saudi aggression persistently seeks to impose flight bans that regress Yemen's progress, emphasizing Yemen's refusal to accept such measures.

In a statement to Almasirah correspondent on Tuesday, Minister Al-Durra declared, "The revolutionary and political leadership's stance has been articulated, and all authorities are aligned with it. We will only accept the opening of all destinations for the Yemeni people."

Al-Durra highlighted that there is no UN decision to suspend operations at Sana'a Airport or impose a blockade, labeling the coalition's actions as war crimes.

On his part, Acting Chairman of Yemen Airways Board Khalil Jahaf stated: "The aggression recently surprised us by scheduling a single flight to a single destination, which is Amman, Jordan."

He stressed that it is catastrophic that more than 50% of the airplane seats are allocated for sale outside Yemen, adding that transferring ticket sales outside Yemen leads to additional burdens and increases restrictions and suffering on the Yemeni people.

Jahaf affirmed that patchwork solutions and half-measures are completely rejected, and Sana'a demands are clear to lift the restrictions on Sana'a International Airport.

On Monday, Yemeni Airlines management in Sana'a accused the US-Saudi coalition of insincerity in reopening Sana'a International Airport, citing a single scheduled route to Amman starting July 9, 2024, as a token gesture to alleviate international pressure.

The statement criticized the coalition for maintaining the airport's closure and selling seats abroad, describing it as an attempt to mislead and increase Yemeni suffering while appearing compliant to the international community.

Yemeni Airlines reiterated that such gestures are unacceptable and demanded full and immediate reopening of Sana'a Airport, crucial for providing navigation and humanitarian services to a majority 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.

The airline submitted flight schedules to Cairo, India, and Jordan for approval, stressing that air travel rights are guaranteed by international laws 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.