There was a significant development as the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, expressed his appreciation on Sunday for the resumption of flights for Yemeni pilgrims from the capital, Sana'a, to Saudi Arabia. This operation is a crucial and positive step towards building confidence between the warring sides.
The first passenger plane in seven years left Sana'a airport on Saturday evening for the Saudi city of Jeddah.
According to Abdul Wahhab al-Durra, the Transport Minister of the non-internationally recognised Houthi government, a total of 20 flights are scheduled for pilgrims travelling to and from Sana'a International Airport. This announcement was made on the 26 September Net website, which is associated with the pro-Iranian group.
Via Twitter, Grundberg expressed hope that this positive development, along with the peaceful atmosphere of the Hajj season, will encourage all parties involved to take further steps to ease restrictions on the movement of civilians in and out of Yemen. The UN envoy stressed the need for a comprehensive ceasefire, the resumption of the political process and the facilitation of unrestricted movement for civilians, all under the auspices of the United Nations.
As reported by Al-Arab, Saudi Arabia issued a statement early on Sunday confirming that it was already receiving flights from Sana'a International Airport as part of an initiative aimed at alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people.
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