The first commercial flight from Yemen's capital in six years had to be indefinitely postponed after claims that the Houthi rebels had tried to smuggle onboard members of Iran’s Islamic Republican Guard Corps and Lebanese Hezbollah.
Muammar Al Eryani, Yemen’s Information Minister, said the government had approved 104 passengers for the flight but the Houthis insisted on adding 60 more with “unreliable passports”.
The rebels had tried to smuggle members of Hezbollah and the IRGC on to the flight using “fake names and forged documents”, the official Saba news agency quoted him as saying.
The government and coalition accuse the groups of sending in military advisers and weapons experts to support the Houthi rebels.
The Saudi-led coalition in support of the internationally recognised government, which was removed by the Houthis in 2015, refused to give permission for the flight.
The coalition had agreed to allow Yemenia airline’s commercial operations from Sanaa airport to Amman in Jordan under a UN-sponsored truce, lifting a flight ban imposed to prevent the smuggling of weapons to the insurgents.
Hours before the flight, the airline said on its Facebook page that “it has not yet received operating permits”, and expressed “deep regret to the travellers for not being allowed to operate” the long-awaited flight.
It said it hoped “all problems will be overcome in the near future”, without specifying a date.
A manager at the company told AFP that "the needed permission from the coalition didn't arrive". There was no immediate comment from the coalition.
UN special envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg called on the warring parties to work with his office “to find a solution that allows the flights to resume as planned”.
The renewable two-month truce that went into effect in early April "is meant to benefit civilians including through reducing violence, making fuel available, and improving their freedom of movement to, from and within their country", he tweeted.
The airport in Sanaa has been closed to commercial traffic since August 2016. Aid flights continue to land in Sanaa, although service has periodically halted.
Daily flights out of government-controlled Aden in the south and the central city of Seiyun operate domestically and connect Yemen to other countries in the region.
With reporting from agencies
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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