Riyadh: The first commercial flight from Yemeni capital Sana’a carrying 270 Haj pilgrims has arrived at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The flight, which took place on Saturday evening, is the first since Sana’a International Airport was closed to commercial flights in 2016.
The flight is one of five that will carry pilgrims heading to Islam’s holiest site from Sanaa airport.
Upon arrival, the Yemeni pilgrims expressed their gratitude for the facilities provided by the Kingdom and the warm welcome of the airport officials.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Haj and Umrah stated that the decision was based on the Kingdom’s desire to ensure that Yemenis from different parts of the country can perform Haj.
Yemen’s capital, Sanaa has been under the control of Iran-backed Houthi militias since 2014 prompting the Arab coalition to intervene to support the internationally recognized government.
In August 2016, the Saudi-led military coalition shut down Sanaa’s airport as part of an air and sea blockade of Houthi-held territory in Yemen. It comes a year after the coalition intervened in Yemen after Iran-linked Houthi rebels ousted the government from the capital, Sana’a.
Fighting in Yemen has decreased significantly since a UN-brokered ceasefire was announced in April 2022. A ceasefire expired in October, but the fighting has largely been frozen.
