NYN | News
Unprecedented Decline in Air Traffic
Officials in the civil aviation sector have confirmed that Sanaa International Airport continues to suffer from near-total paralysis as a result of the restrictions and air blockade imposed on it, leading to a sharp decline in air traffic of approximately 96% and exacerbating the humanitarian suffering of citizens, particularly patients and travelers.
Airport Administration: Direct Targeting and Deliberate Disruption
The Director of Sanaa International Airport, Khaled Al-Shaif, said in statements to Al-Masirah TV that what he described as the Saudi aggression has worked to disable the airport through direct targeting, in addition to imposing an air blockade and preventing the issuance of necessary permits for aircraft. This has kept the airport out of normal service despite the urgent humanitarian need for its operation.
Ambulance Aircraft Stranded Awaiting Clearance
Al-Shaif explained that an ambulance aircraft assigned to a humanitarian mission remained stranded for more than a week awaiting clearance from the coalition’s operations cell in Riyadh to land at Sanaa Airport, without permission being granted—an image that reflects the extent of restrictions imposed even on humanitarian flights.
Civil Aviation Authority: Coalition Is the Sole Obstacle
For his part, the spokesman for the General Authority of Civil Aviation in Sanaa, Sultan Faraj, confirmed that the Saudi-led coalition represents the sole obstacle to the operation of airlines to and from Sanaa International Airport. He noted that the coalition’s control is not limited to Sanaa Airport, but extends to Aden and Seiyun airports as well, through imposing a single operator and restricting travel destinations.
Shocking Figures Reveal the Scale of Collapse
Meanwhile, the Director General of Air Transport, Dr. Mazen Al-Sufi, explained that the blockade and air aggression have caused the loss of approximately 96% of air traffic, considering that this sharp decline has directly contributed to the creation of a worsening humanitarian disaster.
Al-Sufi added that the number of passengers traveling through Sanaa Airport during 2024 did not exceed about 152,000 passengers to a single destination only, compared to around two million passengers who used the airport in 2014. This reflects the magnitude of the severe deterioration in the aviation sector and its direct impact on citizens’ lives and their right to travel and receive medical treatment.
Ongoing Suffering and Absence of Solutions
Specialists affirm that the continued restrictions on Sanaa Airport are not limited to travel disruption alone, but also multiply the suffering of thousands of patients, students, and expatriates, amid the absence of any signs of an imminent breakthrough—placing the international community before its humanitarian and legal responsibilities.
