1/26/2025–|Last updated: 1/26/202509:08 PM (Mecca time)
Today, Sunday, the Ministry of Transport in the internationally recognized Yemeni government officially launched the first direct flight between Al-Rayyan Airport in the city of Mukalla in Hadramaut Governorate, southeastern Yemen, to Cairo Airport in Egypt, after a 10-year hiatus.
Faraj Al-Bahsani, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen, said that the resumption of these flights represents an important step to enhance communication between Yemen and Egypt.
Yemeni Minister of Transport Abdul Salam Hamid said, “Al-Rayyan International Airport, which is the third largest airport in Yemen, is regaining its position today.”
He added that direct flights through the airport now include Dubai, Jeddah, and Cairo, pointing out the importance of the return of the Cairo line in alleviating the suffering of the residents of Hadhramaut Governorate.
Al-Rayyan Airport was closed in 2015 after Al-Qaeda took control of the city of Mukalla for a year, and remained closed for years after the organization’s militants were expelled from the city in April 2016.
Foreign flights began taking off and landing at the airport in early February 2023.
Since April 2022, Yemen has witnessed a lull in a war that began more than 10 years ago between forces loyal to the internationally recognized government and the forces of the Houthi group controlling governorates and cities, including the capital, Sanaa.
The war destroyed most sectors in Yemen, including the transportation sector, and caused one of the most catastrophic humanitarian crises in the world, according to the United Nations.
