Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The Ministry of Transport in the internationally recognized Yemeni government launched the first direct flight on Sunday between Al-Rayan Airport in the city of Al-Mukalla, Al-Hadramaut Governorate, southeastern Yemen, and Cairo International Airport in Egypt, after a ten-year hiatus.
Member of the Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen, Faraj al-Bahsani, said that the resumption of these flights represents a significant step in strengthening ties between Yemen and Egypt.
For his part, Yemeni Transport Minister Abdul Salam Hamid said, “Rayan International Airport, the third largest airport in Yemen, is regaining its position today.”
He added that direct flights via the airport now include Dubai in the UAE, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and Cairo, noting the importance of the return of the Cairo route in alleviating the suffering of the people of Hadramaut Governorate.
Rayan Airport was closed in 2015 after Al-Qaeda controlled the city of Al-Mukalla for a year, and it remained closed for years after the expulsion of the organization’s elements from the city in April 2016. International flights began taking off and landing at the airport in early February 2023.
