Barran Press
Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Chairman, Rashad Al-Alimi, announced on Sunday, June 30, 2024, that Kuwait has pledged support for Yemen, including the provision of three aircraft and engines for Yemen Airways.
Al-Alimi expressed his gratitude to the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, in a statement on "X" seen by Barran Press, for his generous directive to support Yemen Airways. The support, Al-Alimi stated, was in response to a previous request he had made to the Emir.
Al-Alimi hailed the new Kuwaiti support as a significant addition to Kuwait's long-standing record of exemplary stances and generous humanitarian interventions in various phases and circumstances alongside the Yemeni people, its political leadership, and its unwavering commitment to realizing Yemen's aspirations for restoring state institutions, peace, security, stability, and development.
In the same vein, the official Yemeni news agency Saba reported that the Kuwaiti government had informed the Yemeni government on Sunday of its approval of a previous request by President Rashad Al-Alimi to the Emir of Kuwait regarding support for the rehabilitation of the air transport sector through Yemen Airways.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a letter to the Yemeni Embassy in Kuwait, stated that the support stems from the fraternal relations and Kuwait's supportive stance towards its Yemeni counterparts. The Kuwaiti government has approved the provision of three aircraft and engines to Yemen.
On Friday, June 28, the Presidential Leadership Council approved the formation of a government committee, headed by Prime Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak, to manage the crisis of the Houthis' detention of three Yemen Airways aircraft transporting pilgrims to Sana'a International Airport.
According to the official Saba agency, the government committee's mission includes restricting the Houthis' use of the hijacked aircraft until further notice, including the release of the aircraft detained for two months and lifting the ban on the company's frozen assets, exceeding $100 million.
Last Wednesday, June 26, 2024, Yemen Airways issued a "deep" apology to Hajj pilgrims for its inability to transport them to the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, due to the Houthis' detention of four of its aircraft.
The company stated in a statement that the Houthis had detained four of its aircraft at Sana'a International Airport, considering this a threat to the safety of air navigation in the country. The company argued that this action hinders the operation of flights to and from within the country.
The Yemeni Ministry of Transport recognized internationally, stated that over 1,300 pilgrims remain stranded at King Abdulaziz International Airport and in the holy lands. The ministry highlighted that the Houthis' violations against the national carrier have continued since the freezing of the company's financial assets in March 2023, exceeding $100 million.