Sanaa refutes narrative of reopening Yemeni airports, exposes deception of “Saudi support”
SANAA, Jan. 24 (YPA) – In a fresh display of overt media disinformation, the Saudi-led coalition’s mouthpieces have returned to promoting the lie of “reopening Yemeni airports.”
This appears to be a desperate attempt to polish the image of a years-long aerial blockade, while Sanaa International Airport remains shuttered under arbitrary restrictions that suffocate millions and turn the basic rights of travel and medical treatment into a forbidden privilege.
Debunking “Illusory Achievements”
On Friday, the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Meteorology (GACAM) in Sanaa shattered the false reports circulated by coalition media regarding the “return of all Yemeni airports to service.”
The Authority described these reports as a deliberate disinformation campaign designed to deceive public opinion and cover up the ongoing, strangling air siege.
According to the Sanaa-based official Saba News Agency, GACAM spokesperson Sultan Faraj confirmed that claims of airports returning to operation with Saudi support are entirely baseless.
He pointed out that Sanaa International Airport—the country’s primary strategic hub serving over 70% of the population—is still subjected to arbitrary constraints that impede the natural movement of the Yemeni people.
The spokesperson emphasized that marketing these “illusory achievements” contradicts reality. The continued blockade doubles the suffering of thousands of patients, students, and expatriates.
Faraj reiterated that Sanaa International Airport is 100% technically prepared to receive all civil flights, noting that the only barrier to full operation is the insistence on using the humanitarian file and citizens’ suffering as a card for political bargaining.
He stressed that opening airports is not a “grant or a favor” but an inherent human right guaranteed by international agreements, foremost the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, which criminalizes using airports and civilians as tools in conflicts.
An exposed Strategy
Faraj criticized the attempts to highlight the renovation of remote airports far from population centers while ignoring the capital’s airport. He labeled this “an exposed strategy” to force millions to endure the hardships of overland travel—stretching over 1,000 kilometers across rugged and unsafe roads.
“The party claiming reconstruction today is the same one that targeted civil airports with missiles and imposed suffocating restrictions for ten years,” Faraj stated.
He concluded by asserting that any talk of supporting the aviation sector lacks credibility unless it includes the immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on Sanaa International Airport and the opening of multiple travel destinations.
YPA