Yemen’s national airline says it would suspend the country’s lone international commercial flight from Sanaa in reaction to the Houthi administration’s refusal to allow the carrier to withdraw funds from Sanaa banks.
Yemenia will cease six weekly flights to Jordan in October, according to business officials, after negotiations with the Houthis failed to secure the transfer of airline finances totaling $80 million.
According to the sources, Yemenia requested that the Houthi administration receive 70% of the funding, with the remaining 30% going to the internationally recognized government.
The Houthi administration rejected the offer which was when the airline decided to suspend flights to Jordan, they added.
Yemenia said in a statement that it had been unable to withdraw its funds in Sanaa banks for several months and called on the Houthi authorities to lift restrictions ‘illegally’ imposed on its assets.
Report says the Houthi Ministry of Transport could not be reached for comment.
Yemenia resumed flights from Sanaa to Amman, Jordan’s capital, in April 2022.
The Houthis, aligned with Iran, ousted a Saudi-backed government from Sanaa in late 2014, and have de facto control of north Yemen, including Sanaa.
