Conflicts & War

First commercial flight in 6 years takes off from Yemen’s Sana’a

Sana’a, May 16 (EFE).- The first commercial flight from Yemen’s rebel-controlled capital Sana’a in six years took off on Monday.

The flight represents a significant step towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict that began in 2014 which has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The Yemen Airways plane, bound for Jordan’s capital Amman, had 137 passengers on board, the deputy head of the civil aviation, Raed Talib, told local media.

Some 61 passengers will return to Sana’a from Amman on Monday, the Houthi official said.

The vast majority of the passengers are people in need of hospital treatment, according to the Houthi-run al-Masirah television channel.

This first commercial flight is part of a two-month United Nations-brokered truce reached between the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition supporting it.

The flight was scheduled to depart on April 24 but was delayed after a dispute over issuing passports.

Resuming commercial flights from Sana’a airport was also one of conditions stipulated by the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels to participate in peace talks.

No commercial flights have taken off from Sana’a since the Saudi-led alliance fighting the Houthis closed the airport in August 2016. EFE

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