First group of Yemeni pilgrims leaves Sanaa airport, heading to holy land to perform Hajj

The first group of Yemeni pilgrims on Saturday left Sanaa International Airport to the Holy Land to perform Hajj and Umrah for the current year 1444 AH via a Yemen Airways plane carrying 268 people on board.

A press conference was held on at Sanaa Airport attended by the Ministers of Guidance, Transport and Works, Charge d’Affaires of Yemen Airways Khalil Jahaf and Sanaa International Airport Director Khaled Al-Shayef.

At the press conference, the Minister of Transport affirmed the interest of the revolutionary leadership and the Supreme Political Council and their follow-up to the travel of pilgrims through Sanaa International Airport, facilitating their travel and securing their property.

“Today, the first group of pilgrims to the Holy Land was inaugurated and all facilities were provided to them, and these trips do not represent anything in front of the great need of the Yemeni people,” he said.

He pointed out that pilgrims are supposed to be sent through Sanaa airport, as they represent most of those registered in Hajj and Umrah offices from Sanaa and nearby governorates, but the Saudi-led coalition and its mercenaries in Aden continued to delay until they allowed only three flights.

Al-Durra also out that it was agreed to return pilgrims after the completion of the Hajj through Sanaa airport.

He revealed arrangements for the operation of Al-Saeeda Airlines for the return of the pilgrims registered through land transport by transferring their tickets by air to Sanaa airport to facilitate their return and ensure their safety, calling ding once again for the full opening of Sanaa airport and the return of all flights as they were before the aggression.

“Before the aggression, the number of flights from Sanaa airport per day was about 50 flights at a rate of five thousand passengers, which is a legal and international right legitimized by international laws and conventions,” he said.

The minister touched on murders and looting the incidents that travelers have been subjected to for eight years through unsafe roads in the southern governorates.

He stressed that the ministry of transport as well as the concerned ministries will continue to follow up until the opening of new destinations, especially Cairo and India, where the rate of understandings reached 80% with the aviation authorities in Cairo and India, which contributes to alleviating the suffering of sick passengers, students, expatriates and those stranded abroad.

For his part, the Minister of Guidance and Hajj and Umrah Affairs reviewed the dangers to which pilgrims were exposed during the previous years as a result of their movement by land through unsafe and rough roads.

“Pilgrims leave Sanaa and travel two thousand kilometres where there have been accidents and deaths due to the bumpy road, as well as it is not safe,” he said.

He expressed the hope that the opening of Sana’a International Airport to the pilgrims will be a good sign for the opening of Yemeni airports, foremost of which is Sanaa Airport for travelers, pilgrims, patients and others, stressing that they are purely humanitarian aspects.

The minster affirmed that the interest of the revolutionary leadership and the Supreme Political Council is to alleviate the suffering of pilgrims and working on their air travel to secure their lives and property.

For his part, the Minister of Public Works and Roads explained that flights through Sanaa airport for pilgrims represent little as tens of thousands of pilgrims left by land and incurred the dangers of roads.

He pointed out that there are supposed to be 200 flights, as the number of Yemeni pilgrims reached 24,000.

For their part, a number of pilgrims expressed their happiness with the opening of Sanaa Airport to facilitate their departure to the Holy Land, thanking the revolutionary leadership and the Supreme Political Council for the efforts made to transport them to the holy sites through Sanaa airport.