Barran Press
Yemenia Airways resumed scheduled flights between Sana'a and the Jordanian capital Amman on Tuesday, July 9th, 2024, after a twenty-day suspension. This comes following a period of tension surrounding the Houthi group's seizure of Yemenia aircraft in Sana'a airport and subsequent Omani mediation leading to an agreement for their release.
The airline's Sana'a office announced the resumption of flights on their Facebook page, with a daily flight departing Sana'a at 8am and returning from Amman at 12pm.
Sources within the travel industry have confirmed that Yemenia's ticket booking systems have been reopened for all authorized agencies in Sana'a.
The Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, has previously declared that they do not recognize any Yemenia Airways management outside of Sana'a. They have strongly criticized the government-affiliated management, labeling them "tools of aggression" and accusing them of corruption.
A statement issued by the Houthi-controlled Yemenia Airways office in Sana'a claimed that they are responsible for paying staff salaries, pilots, flight attendants, and all operational expenses, refuting accusations from the government in Aden.
This statement highlights the Houthi's ongoing efforts to separate the airline and establish its financial and administrative independence from the main office in the temporary capital, Aden. This move is seen as a preemptive measure against any future agreements between the government and the Houthis, and an attempt to evade pressure to release control of Yemenia's accounts, which are estimated to hold tens of millions of dollars.
Last Friday, July 5th, local sources reported the departure of the first Yemenia aircraft seized by the Houthis from Sana'a International Airport to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to transport the first group of stranded pilgrims.
On Thursday evening, the Ministry of Awqaf and Guidance in the internationally recognized Yemeni government informed Hajj agencies of the resumption of Yemenia flights transporting stranded pilgrims from Jeddah to Sana'a in two trips.
The crisis surrounding Yemenia Airways, the only official air carrier in Yemen, began in early June, with a dispute between the company's headquarters in Aden, declared the temporary capital, and its branch in Houthi-controlled Sana'a.
The dispute arose after the Yemeni government's Minister of Transportation directed Yemenia Airways to transfer "all its revenue to the accounts of the Central Bank in the temporary capital Aden, or abroad."
The Minister's directive, issued after the Central Bank in Aden halted transactions with six major banks in the country due to their failure to relocate their headquarters from Sana'a to Aden, aimed to transfer all company activities and revenue to the capital.
The Minister of Transportation, Abdulsalam Hamid, accused the Houthi group of "freezing the company's assets, exceeding one hundred million dollars, in commercial banks in Sana'a," prompting the government's decision to safeguard the company's resources and revenue from Houthi control by transferring them to its accounts in Aden or abroad.
Government directives also mandated the "depositing of ticket sales proceeds into Yemenia Airways accounts in Aden or abroad," and the completion of urgent arrangements to relocate the remaining company departments to Aden.
Previously, the Yemeni government had issued a decision to "halt the collection of all tickets in areas under the control of the Houthi group for the daily flight permitted through Sana'a airport, controlled by the group, to the Jordanian capital Amman," leading to the suspension of the flight.
The government-affiliated company attributed the suspension to "flights transporting Yemeni pilgrims to Jeddah airport," confirming that the Sana'a-Amman route would resume once the pilgrim transport was complete.