ALBAWABA - On Saturday, a plane departed from Yemen's Houthi-run Sanaa airport, heading towards Saudi Arabia with Yemeni pilgrims on board. This flight marked the first direct connection between the two countries in seven years.
According to an anonymous source at the airport, a Yemen Airways flight took off en route to the coastal city of Jeddah. this was the first commercial flight from Sanaa airport to Saudi Arabia since its closure in 2016
On Thursday, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced its plans to facilitate the arrival of Yemeni pilgrims through Sanaa airport. The Hajj pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, is one of the five pillars of Islam, and Muslims are required to perform it at least once if they have the means.
Since 2016, the airport in Sanaa has been subject to a blockade imposed by the coalition as part of its campaign against the Houthi group. However, in 2022, flights resumed from Sanaa airport to the Jordanian capital, Amman.
Yemen has faced violence and instability since 2014 when Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, captured significant parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The situation escalated further when a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in 2015 to counter Houthi advancements and reinstate the Yemeni government.
Amid ongoing efforts by the United Nations to resolve the conflict, war-torn Yemen is now experiencing a state of de-escalation after nearly a decade of fighting.
