Aden International Airport in Yemen has suspended operations amid a deepening crisis between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This was reported by Reuters, informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that this airport, which is outside the control of the Houthis, is the country's main air gateway. Air traffic was stopped due to a dispute between the two countries over restrictions on flights to the UAE.
The UAE supports the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which controls a significant part of the territories in southern Yemen and is not subordinate to the internationally recognized government. Saudi Arabia, which supports the government, considered the STC's actions a threat to its national security, which caused the biggest crisis in relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in decades
It is indicated that the STC controls the Ministry of Transport in the coalition government, which accused Riyadh of imposing an air blockade, stating that Saudi Arabia demanded that all flights pass through its territory for additional checks. Subsequently, according to the ministry, the Saudi side clarified that the restrictions apply only to flights between Aden and the UAE.
A Saudi source, in turn, denied involvement in the restrictions, stating that the requirement for flights between Aden and the UAE was introduced by the internationally recognized government of Yemen itself in order to curb the escalation of tensions. After that, the southern-controlled Ministry of Transport allegedly ordered a complete halt to air traffic, instead of complying with the restrictions.
Context
In late December, separatists in southern Yemen accused Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes on their forces, which the kingdom did not immediately acknowledge after warning the forces to withdraw from the governorates they had recently captured.
Earlier, Yemen's airspace was briefly closed after the separatist group "Southern Transitional Council" seized territory in Hadramaut province.