(MENAFN- Bangladesh Monitor)
Aden, Yemen: Yemenia Airways will resume commercial flights from Sanaa to Egypt and India, the Houthi-run news agency said, as part of a deal between opposing sides in Yemen's civil war.
The service to Egypt will resume on Tuesday (July 30) after a Sunday flight was cancelled. Flights to India resumed on Sunday (July 28).
Return flights to Cairo will operate once daily, while flights to India will run twice weekly.
The resumption of flights reportedly comes as part of the recent agreement reached between Sanaa and Riyadh, marking a potential easing of travel restrictions that have been in place due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
The airline has called on citizens interested in traveling to Cairo and India to book their tickets through Yemenia offices and authorized travel agencies in Sanaa, with bookings opening immediately. The official statement emphasized that flight operations on these routes will start this Sunday evening.
The move marks a significant change in Yemen's aviation landscape.
Sanaa International Airport has been largely closed to civilian traffic since 2016 due to the ongoing conflict in the country. The resumption of these international routes could potentially indicate progress towards normalizing air travel and improving humanitarian access to the war-ravaged Arab country.
However, there has been no confirmation of this announcement from the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia so far.
Last week, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced that the Yemeni government and Houthis reached an agreement to resolve their longstanding banking dispute and resume flights from the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, which comes as a result of mediation efforts led by Saudi Arabia.
According to Grundberg's statement, both parties informed him of their agreement to cancel recent decisions and procedures affecting banks on both sides.
The deal also includes the resumption of Yemenia Airways flights between Sanaa and Jordan, with an increase to three daily flights. Additionally, daily flights to Cairo and India, or as needed, will be operated.
Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating conflict since late 2014 when Houthi rebels seized control of the capital, Sanaa, and large swathes of the country. A UN-brokered truce in April 2022 led to a significant reduction in hostilities, but the country continues to grapple with severe economic challenges and political divisions.
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