Yemen’s civil aviation authority denies reports of airport closures in government-held areas
Yemen Herald News 
ADEN, Yemen — Yemen’s civil aviation authority denied reports that airports in government-held areas had closed, saying no closure order exists and traffic is running normally.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation and Meteorology, based in the interim capital Aden, said all operational airports in areas under government control continue to function.
The authority said no decision had been issued to close any airport.
Air traffic is proceeding in line with approved operational procedures, it said.
The statement dismissed material circulating on news websites and social media platforms that described airport closures and a suspension of flights. The authority called the material false and said it did not come from any official source.
It urged citizens, travellers and media outlets to check information before passing it on, and to rely on official channels.
The account rests on the authority’s own statement, distributed through the state news agency Saba. No independent confirmation of it has been published, and Yemen Herald could not verify it.
The authority did not name the outlets it was referring to. It did not say how many airports it counts as operational, or which ones.
Yemeni air traffic has stopped and restarted several times over the past year.
In July the same authority ordered every airport in the country closed to air traffic until further notice. It sent a circular informing airlines and international organisations of the decision, Middle East Monitor reported.
That order followed a statement by Yemen’s defence ministry that its forces had struck the runway at Sanaa International Airport. The ministry said the strike was meant to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing.
The closure held for several days. Xinhua reported that airports reopened and air traffic resumed the following week.
The authority later required airlines to obtain prior permits before entering Yemeni airspace, Yemen Monitor reported.
Aden International Airport is the main gateway in government-held territory. The internationally recognised government moved its seat to the city after the Houthis took Sanaa in 2014.
Yemenia, the national carrier, flies domestic and international routes from Aden and lists Seiyun in Hadramout province among its bases.
Flights at Aden were suspended in early January during a dispute over inspection requirements on services between Aden and the United Arab Emirates, Al Jazeera reported at the time.
Government forces took full control of that airport on Jan. 7 after capturing the city from the Southern Transitional Council, the Aden-based separatist movement.
Riyan International Airport at Mukalla, on the Hadramout coast, resumed operations this year after years of suspension. The first arrival was a domestic flight from Aden.
State media said preparations were under way to open international services at Riyan as part of an authority plan to rehabilitate airports and restore operational readiness.
Riyan and Seiyun had both been stripped of equipment during earlier periods of instability.
Sanaa International Airport lies in territory held by the Houthi movement. The Aden-based authority claims jurisdiction over Yemeni airspace. The Houthi administration rejects that claim and runs its own aviation body.
The denial was issued during fighting that the United Nations envoy for Yemen has described as a new and more dangerous phase of the war.
Houthi forces opened an offensive along the Red Sea coast on Sept. 3. They took the port city of Mocha this week after government forces withdrew.
Mocha sits in Taiz province on the Red Sea. A small airport lies on the edge of the city.
Houthi fighters then reached Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, two Yemeni officials said. Government units had pulled out.
Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy, told the Security Council that more than 11,400 families had been displaced across Yemen since the offensive began.
The International Organization for Migration said at least 46,000 people had fled fighting in the southwest.
Air links carry part of Yemen’s aid traffic. The United Nations humanitarian plan for this year counts more than 22 million people in need and 18.3 million who are acutely food insecure.
The plan records 5.2 million internally displaced people and asks for 2.16 billion dollars to reach 12 million of them.
A truce mediated by the United Nations took effect in April 2022. Each side accuses the other of ending it.
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador told the Security Council that Houthi strikes on the kingdom on Sept. 8 wounded 73 civilians. The Houthi movement says its attacks answer Saudi air raids on territory it holds.
The Security Council met in emergency session on Yemen after the Houthis took Mocha.
Grundberg reported civilian deaths in Taiz, Hodeidah, al-Bayda and al-Jawf provinces. He said shelling had destroyed shelters for displaced people in Marib.
The Houthi movement said its strikes on Saudi Arabia answered more than 120 Saudi air raids carried out over three days.
Yemenia has run a reduced network for years. Gulf News reported that the carrier suspended international flights from Houthi-held Sanaa.
The International Organization for Migration said separately that 1,628 Ethiopian migrants returned from Yemen to Djibouti in August.
Fighting has continued in Taiz and Hodeidah provinces since the offensive opened, with each side reporting gains the other disputes.
The civil aviation authority made no reference to the fighting in its statement.
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