• The airport was opened for commercial flights to Amman in May last year under the UN-brokered truce, and the Houthis were requested to reciprocate by abandoning their siege of Taiz, a term that they have not met

Saeed Al-Batati

AL-MUKALLA: A Yemenia Airways plane carrying 275 Yemeni pilgrims departed Houthi-controlled Sanaa on Saturday evening for Saudi Arabia for the first time in years.

The Yemeni national airline said that the flight landed at Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening, and that two additional flights scheduled for Monday and Wednesday would transport more pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

Sanaa airport has been closed to commercial flights since the first day of the Arab coalition military intervention in March 2015, as the Yemeni government and the Arab coalition have repeatedly accused the Houthis of smuggling weapons and turning the airport into a military base for storing explosive-rigged drones and ballistic missiles.

The airport was opened for commercial flights to Amman in May last year under the UN-brokered truce, and the Houthis were requested to reciprocate by abandoning their siege of Taiz, a term that they have not met.

The first commercial flights from Houthi-controlled Sanaa to Saudi Arabia have spurred praise for Saudi Arabia’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of Yemenis while also laying the groundwork for the end of the war.

The EU delegation to Yemen on Sunday welcomed the resumption of commercial flights between Sanaa and Saudi Arabia, and commended Saudi Arabia for “the gestures” that would lead to the war’s end.

“Very important Hajj flight from Sanaa to KSA yesterday, the first in years, permitting Yemenis to perform religious obligations. Gestures such as this by Saudi Arabia are most welcome, and should help bring an end to the conflict,” the EU delegation said on Twitter.

The UN Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, on Sunday urged Yemenis to take advantage of the spiritual atmosphere during the annual Hajj season to reach an agreement to ease restrictions on movements of citizens and launch a comprehensive peace process, thanking Saudi Arabia for its assistance in facilitating the departure of flights from Sanaa to Saudi Arabia.

“I hope this positive step and 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 and start an inclusive political dialogue under UN auspices,” Grundberg tweeted.

The US also praised the Kingdom for facilitating Hajj flights from Houthi-controlled Sanaa, as well as other related measures to foster peace in Yemen.

“We credit Saudi Arabia for its efforts to support the truce over recent months, including the historic Hajj flights today that enable Yemenis to perform their religious obligations and other flights soon to follow,” the US National Security Council said in a statement on Saturday.

“The US remains engaged with all parties to consolidate the ongoing benefits from the truce, and to ultimately end the war altogether through a Yemeni-led political process.”

Similarly, the Yemen government’s officials said that 19,366 Yemeni pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia, including 18,173 pilgrims who entered the Kingdom through the Al-Wadea border crossing.