Flights resume for Yemeni pilgrims to Saudi Arabia

There was a significant development as the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, expressed his appreciation on Sunday for the resumption of flights for Yemeni pilgrims from the capital, Sana'a, to Saudi Arabia. This operation is a crucial and positive step towards building confidence between the warring sides.  

The first passenger plane in seven years left Sana'a airport on Saturday evening for the Saudi city of Jeddah. 

According to Abdul Wahhab al-Durra, the Transport Minister of the non-internationally recognised Houthi government, a total of 20 flights are scheduled for pilgrims travelling to and from Sana'a International Airport. This announcement was made on the 26 September Net website, which is associated with the pro-Iranian group.

Via Twitter, Grundberg expressed hope that this positive development, along with the peaceful atmosphere of the Hajj season, will encourage all parties involved to take further steps to ease restrictions on the movement of civilians in and out of Yemen. The UN envoy stressed the need for a comprehensive ceasefire, the resumption of the political process and the facilitation of unrestricted movement for civilians, all under the auspices of the United Nations. 

As reported by Al-Arab, Saudi Arabia issued a statement early on Sunday confirming that it was already receiving flights from Sana'a International Airport as part of an initiative aimed at alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people. 

Muhammad al-Jaber, Saudi ambassador to Yemen, welcomed the arrival of the first group of Yemeni pilgrims at King Abdulaziz International Airport, saying the move was an extension of the kingdom's support for the Yemeni people and their aspirations for peace, development and prosperity. 

Grundberg: "I hope this positive step &the spirit of peace of the Hajj season encourage the parties to take more steps to ease freedom of movement restrictions including inside Yemen, reach a nationwide ceasefire &start an inclusive political dialogue under UN auspices".

— @OSE_Yemen (@OSE_Yemen) June 18, 2023

The resumption of flights to Sana'a airport in 2022 was initially limited to the Jordanian capital, Amman. This followed the suspension of commercial flights since August 2016. Yemen is suffering from a nearly nine-year conflict between forces loyal to the legitimate government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Iranian-backed Houthi forces. Since 21 September 2014, the Houthis have been in control of several provinces and cities, including the capital, Sana'a. 

The international community hopes that these latest developments will strengthen confidence between the parties to the conflict and potentially pave the way for a new agreement that could lead to a lasting solution. Direct negotiations between the Houthi faction and Riyadh took place last April under Omani sponsorship, but subsequently stalled due to Houthi conditions, considered unfeasible by some and potentially influenced by the US position.