Yemen Monitor / Aden / Exclusive:
Two officials at Aden International Airport confirmed on Tuesday that leaders of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forced Yemeni passengers to leave from a commercial flight bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The officials told Yemen Monitor that passengers were forced off the plane while a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, Aidarous al-Zubaidi (who is also the STC president), along with the governor of Aden and other STC leaders, boarded the aircraft and flew to Ataq International Airport.
While one official described the incident as a scheduling misunderstanding, the second official stated that Jeddah flight had already faced two delays—from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM, then to 4:00 PM—before passengers were forcibly removed after boarding. The flight was then delayed again until 6:30 PM.
The UAE-backed STC has not commented on the incident. This marks an unprecedented event where a government official has seized a commercial flight.
Later, Aidarous al-Zubaidi announced the reopening of Ataq International Airport in Shabwa province after a 10-year closure.
Stranded passengers were left waiting on the ground at Aden Airport until they were finally accommodated on the rescheduled Jeddah flight at 6:30 PM.
