JAKARTA - A plane carrying more than 270 Yaman pilgrims left Sanaa for Saudi Arabia on Saturday last week, the first commercial flight between the two countries since 2016.
"This is the first flight from five flights to Saudi Arabia to perform the pilgrimage," said Khalid Al Shayyef, head of Yemen's airport, quoted by The National News on June 20.
Two other Yemenia Airways flights are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday, with arrangements for two other flights.
It is known that millions of Muslims from around the world will gather in Makkah to worship for several days in holy places starting this weekend.
The resumption of flights is another sign of easing tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, after years of conflict over the takeover of the Yemeni capital in 2014.
This takeover prompted a Saudi Arabia-led coalition to intervene and close Sanaa airport in August 2016, as part of an air and sea blockade in the Houthi-controlled territory.
One of the congregation, Mohammad Askar, expressed his relief over the possibility of ending the blockade and reopening the airport.
"We are very happy and relieved, and I can't describe how I feel," he said.
Meanwhile, Houthi Minister of Works Ghaleb Mutlaq said about 200 flights would be needed to accommodate 24,000 people wishing to travel.
"We consider what happened today a good signal, so airports, especially Sanaa airport, will be opened to Yemeni pilgrims," explained Minister of Guidance, Haji and Umrah Houthi Najeeb Al Aji.
However, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthis has made exceptions for relief flights, which provide rescue routes for residents amid what the United Nations calls one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.
Separately, the United States welcomes Hajj flights as a positive step, saying this is "the latest in a series of efforts that have provided assistance to Yemeni citizens since the UN-sponsored ceasefire began 15 months ago, and we thank Saudi Arabia for allowing such flights".
It is known that peace efforts have gained momentum since Saudi Arabia announced the restoration of relations with Iran in March, seven years after they cut ties.
The move comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to calm the region, improve its oil-dependent economy and attract investment.
The Saudi-led coalition and Houthi negotiators have previously held repeated talks, aiming to end the conflict that has killed more than 150,000 people.
"We are all aware that the path to peace will be long and difficult," UN special envoy Hans Grundberg said at a forum in The Hague, Netherlands.
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