The first commercial flight in nearly six years took off on Monday from Sanaa, the capital of Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels, taking advantage of a momentary ceasefire in the civil war affecting the country.
The Yemeni airline, which has 126 passengers, including patients in need of treatment abroad, took off from Sanaa shortly after at 9:00 am (3:00 GMT) to go to Amman, the capital of Jordan.
Since 2016, only UN flights have been allowed in the capital.
Houthi rebels took control of Sanaa in 2014, sparking violent clashes with the internationally recognized and supported government.
A coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia has operated in the country since 2015 to support forces loyal to the government and controls all air and sea space in the region, including areas where rebels have taken control.
The Houthis, close to Iran, accuse Riyadh of imposing a “blockade” on Yemen. But the Saudis say they are fighting arms smuggling and other clandestine activities.
However, since April 2, the warring parties have been observing a national ceasefire with little hope among the nearly 30 million people held hostage in one of the world’s greatest humanitarian tragedies.
In addition to the relatively respected ceasefire, the ceasefire includes the gradual opening of Sanaa airport to commercial flights.
source: Noticias
