Talks with Houthis to end Yemenia standoff

Yemen’s internationally recognized government has proposed allowing the national airline to operate additional flights out of Houthi-controlled Sanaa in exchange for the Houthis removing restrictions on the airline’s bank accounts.

In an effort to end a dispute between Yemen Airways (Yemenia) and the Houthis, which led to the suspension of flights from Sanaa airport, the Yemeni government stipulated on Monday that the Houthis must first allow Yemenia to access more than $80 million in its Sanaa accounts and stop interfering with the company’s operations before Yemenia could arrange flights to additional destinations.

Yemenia suspended commercial flights from Sanaa airport earlier this month after the Houthis denied the company access to its accounts in Sanaa, crippling the company’s financial obligations such as paying salaries, maintenance, fuel bills and installments for newly purchased aircraft.

The Houthis have not responded to the government’s proposal, but they previously confessed to withholding the company’s funds and prohibiting it from withdrawing significant sums of money “in an effort to combat corruption.”

The suspension of flights from Sanaa has stranded hundreds of Yemeni travelers, including those with life-threatening illnesses, in Yemen or at airports.

Yemenia flies almost daily from Sanaa to Jordan, the airline’s only international route since the airport’s reopening in April 2022.