Sanaa, the capital city of Yemen, has welcomed its first commercial flight in six years. On Monday morning, a Yemenia flight departed Sanaa International Airport en route to Amman, Jordan, carrying primarily sick or elderly passengers.

Yemenia operates first commercial flight from Sanaa since 2016

Sanaa International Airport (SAH) has been closed to commercial operations since August 2016 due to the political instability in the region. On Monday, the airport saw its first commercial flight in six years with the departure of Yemenia flight IY648 to Amman (AMM) via Aden (ADE).

The arriving aircraft was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute before taking off at 09:00 local time, arriving in Amman at 11:38. The plane had around 150 passengers, many of which required medical treatment.

sanaa airport
The airport has suffered major damage from bombardments over the conflict. Photo: Nasser Abdulkareem/NRC

Erin Hutchinson, the Norwegian Refugee Council's (NRC) Country Director in Yemen, said,

"The take-off of the first commercial flight from Sana'a airport in almost six years is a stepping stone towards a lasting peace for Yemen. The long-overdue reopening of the airport was one of the major objectives of the truce. If the parties to the conflict continue to work together to operate regular flights in and out of Sanaa, they can help save thousands of lives, prevent premature deaths, and support the country’s economy."

The flight was operated by a Yemenia Airbus A320-200 (registration: 7O-AFA), one of four Airbus A320s in the Yemenia fleet.

Delayed by six weeks

This flight was initially scheduled to depart on April 2nd, but a problem involving Houthi-issued passports prevented the flight from leaving until this week. New Yemen passports will be issued in Jordan to those arriving with Houthi documents.

The airport's reopening was made possible by last month's truce agreement between Houthi rebels, who control Sanaa, and the Saudi-led coalition opposing them. Only United Nations (UN) flights have been permitted at Sanaa Airport since 2016.

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More flights needed

Yemen's long civil conflict has left millions in need of medical treatment and humanitarian aid. Sanaa International Airport previously served around two million passengers each year before the country plunged into chaos.

While the recent truce agreement is the first nationwide ceasefire in Yemen in six years, it is only set to last 60 days, leaving Yemenis facing another spell of isolation when it expires.

Sanaa Airport baggage
Sanaa Airport has only been open to UN flights since 2016. Photo: Nasser Abdulkareem/NRC

Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Authority, Raed Jabal, said,

"We ask the UN and the competent authorities for the permanent opening of Sanaa airport for all the Yemeni people, without any restrictions or conditions."

At the time of writing, the second Yemenia flight out of Sanaa is in the air en route to Amman via Aden. The Yemeni carrier has scheduled two more flights on Saturday and next Wednesday and will likely add more services after that.

Do you see Sanaa International Airport remaining open after the nationwide ceasefire expires? Did you ever visit the airport before it was closed in 2016? Let us know in the comments.