Yemenia Airways to resume flights as Houthis agree to release detained aircraft

Aden (South24) -- Saudi media and local Yemeni websites reported early Friday morning that the Houthi militia has agreed to release the Yemenia Airways' aircraft detained in North Yemen’s capital, Sana'a.

According to a post on X by Al Hadath, an online news platform affiliated with Saudi Al Arabiya TV, Yemenia Airways flights will resume transporting Yemeni pilgrims on Friday, while flights between Sana'a and the Jordanian capital, Amman, will resume tomorrow, Saturday.

The concerned parties have not officially confirmed these reports. However, a well-informed source told South24 that the Presidential Leadership Council unanimously agreed on Thursday to freeze measures taken earlier by the Yemeni Ministry of Transport aimed at curbing Houthi attempts to take control of Yemenia Airways’s funds.

The Houthis detained three Yemenia Airways aircraft along with their crews on June 25, which had been carrying Yemeni pilgrims to Sana'a, adding to their previously detained fourth aircraft.

The Yemeni Minister of Transport had previously directed Yemenia Airways to transfer all its revenues to its bank accounts in the capital, Aden, or its overseas accounts, following what he described as the "Houthi seizure" of the company's funds in Sana'a banks exceeding $100 million.

These developments coincided with notable statements from Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who called for the expedited signing of a "roadmap" regarding the Yemeni crisis.

In statements published by Al Hadath, Farhan said that the "Yemeni roadmap is ready" and that they are prepared to work according to it. He expressed his hope to be able to sign it “as soon as possible," adding, "We believe that by signing the roadmap, we can move forward, and hope that happens sooner rather than later."

On July 1, South24 reporting cited informed sources saying the President of the Presidential Leadership Council had ordered the reversal of recent economic measures imposed by the government against the Houthi militia in Sana'a, under Saudi pressure. The deal to release the planes is likely linked to the government rolling back some or all of these measures.

Additionally, multiple UN and Yemeni sources indicated that the Yemeni parties involved in last Sunday's Muscat talks had "reached an understanding on the release of detainees related to the conflict, including Mohammed Qahtan."

In Aden, a soldier was killed yesterday during a raid by joint security forces targeting suspects accused of kidnapping Major Ali Ashal Al-Jaadani in the Al-Memdara area, according to security sources cited by South24.

The Security Belt forces stated in a communiqué that two of the kidnapping suspects were arrested during the operation.

The kidnapping incident had sparked widespread controversy in Aden, with accusations that the security authorities were lenient in apprehending the suspects.

In developments regarding the escalating tensions in the Red Sea, Houthi media reported on Thursday that three airstrikes targeted the Al-Luhayyah and Beit Al-Faqih areas in the Hodeidah Governorate. Meanwhile, the US Central Command announced the destruction of two unmanned surface vessels and a radar site belonging to the Houthis in their controlled areas in Yemen.