Yemen resumes flights at Al-Ghaydah airport after weeks-long suspension
Authorities say operations restarted in Al-Ghaydah airpot after security stabilized in Al-Mahra province
SANAA, Yemen / ISTANBUL
Yemeni authorities announced on Sunday the resumption of flights at Al-Ghaydah International Airport in the eastern province of al-Mahra, after weeks of suspension triggered by the military takeover by the now-dissolved Southern Transitional Council (STC).
Al-Mahra Governor Mohammed Ali Yasser received the first incoming flight at Al-Ghaydah Airport since operations were halted due to recent unrest in the province, the official Yemeni news agency Saba reported.
The governor did not specify the origin of the Yemenia Airways flight that landed at the airport.
“The resumption of flights comes as part of local authority efforts to ease travel for citizens and residents, following the stabilization of security conditions and a return to normalcy,” he said.
Airport operations had been suspended in early December 2025 after STC forces captured the province. Government troops later regained control of the province with support from the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
On Friday, the STC announced its dissolution, including all its main and subsidiary bodies and offices inside and outside Yemen, a move that was widely welcomed domestically and in Saudi Arabia.
The STC dissolution comes ahead of its anticipated participation in a southern dialogue conference set to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, following a request by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi earlier this month.
After previously rejecting local, regional and international calls to withdraw from Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra, and following days of clashes, government-allied forces retook both provinces.
Authorities in Abyan, Shabwa and Lahj have since welcomed the return of government forces, while the handover of remaining areas in Al-Dhale and Socotra Island is currently underway following the STC’s dissolution.
The STC has long pushed for the secession of southern Yemen, arguing that successive governments have marginalized the region politically and economically. Yemeni authorities reject the claim and insist on preserving the country’s territorial unity.
North and South Yemen were unified on May 22, 1990, forming the Republic of Yemen.
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