First Commercial Flight In 6 Years Leaves Yemen's Capital

The first commercial flight in nearly six years took off from Yemen's rebel-held capital on Monday, a major step forward in a peace process that has provided rare relief from conflict

Sanaa, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2022 ) :The first commercial flight in nearly six years took off from Yemen's rebel-held capital on Monday, a major step forward in a peace process that has provided rare relief from conflict.

The Yemenia plane carrying 126 passengers, including hospital patients needing treatment abroad and their relatives, took off from Sanaa for the Jordanian capital Amman just after 9:00 am (0600 GMT), AFP journalists saw.

Before take-off, the plane with red-and-blue tail livery taxied through an honour guard of two fire trucks spraying jets of water.

Sanaa's airport has been closed to commercial traffic since August 2016 because of air strikes.

Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, has been wracked with war since the coalition stepped in to support the government in 2015, a year after the Huthis seized control of the capital.