SANAA, Yemen — The first commercial flight after 2016 took off from Yemen’s rebel-held capital on Monday (May 16). The flight by Yemen Airways was bound for Jordan’s capital of Amman. It had 151 passengers on board, including many patients seeking treatment abroad, according to the Houthi media office.
The two-month truce came into effect on April 2 and has largely held but the resumption of select flights agreed under the deal stalled after the Saudi-backed government had insisted all passengers from Sanaa need government-issued passports. Facing pressure from the international community, it agreed last week to allow Houthi-issued passport holders to travel outside Yemen.
The United Nations is seeking the extension of the nationwide truce, the first inclusive ceasefire in the war since 2016, to clear the way for broader political negotiations to end the conflict that has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.
The truce deal included a halt to offensive military operations, allowing fuel imports into Houthi-controlled ports, and some flights from Sanaa. The flights will facilitate separate talks on the reopening of roads in the heavily disputed Taiz region.
“The take-off of the first commercial flight from Sanaa airport in almost six years is a stepping stone towards a lasting peace for Yemen,” Erin Hutchinson, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Country Director in Yemen, said in a statement.
In Sanaa’s main hospital, others had to wait for the next flight expected on Wednesday.
The re-opening of Sana’a airport is a positive step that restores hope for an end to the suffering of millions of Yemenis after seven harrowing years of conflict. Regular flights will help people get much needed medical help.
