Flights at Aden International Airport were suspended amid escalating tensions between the Southern Transitional Council and Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government. Officials said a new inspection requirement routing Aden–UAE flights via Jeddah contributed to the disruption, though Saudi and Yemeni sources offered conflicting accounts. The pause follows the UAE’s withdrawal of counterterrorism forces and a Saudi strike on a shipment Riyadh said was linked to the UAE. Authorities say the measure aims to curb alleged STC money smuggling; the STC vows to remain in the affected provinces.
Flights Suspended At Aden International Amid Escalating STC–Government Tensions
Airport staff walk towards a Yemen Airways (Yemenia) plane after it landed at Aden airport in Aden, Yemen [File: Fawaz Salman/Reuters]
All flights at Aden International Airport were suspended on Thursday as a political and security standoff intensified between the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Yemen’s Riyadh-backed, internationally recognised government.
Airport Suspension And Immediate Causes
Reuters reported that airport operations were halted on Thursday, though details on which services were affected and when flights might resume remained unclear. Yemen’s Transport Ministry — aligned with the STC within the internationally recognised government — said the stoppage followed new requirements that would route inspections of Aden–United Arab Emirates flights through Jeddah.
“We were shocked by the move,” the ministry said, adding that Saudi authorities later clarified the restriction applied only to flights between Aden and the UAE.
Conflicting Accounts And Government Response
A Saudi source told Reuters it was not responsible for imposing a flight restriction and instead blamed the Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen for the requirement affecting UAE-bound services. Yemeni presidential adviser Thabet al-Ahmadi told Al Jazeera the government had imposed a measure affecting a single route from Aden; he said the aim was to prevent alleged money-smuggling by STC actors and that the government did not intend a full suspension of air traffic.
Wider Context: Regional Strains And Military Moves
The halt comes amid growing tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over the STC. Saudi officials have accused the United Arab Emirates of arming and encouraging the STC’s expansion into Hadramout and al-Mahra provinces — charges the UAE denies.
In December the STC expanded military operations into Hadramout and al-Mahra, prompting a rapid escalation in tensions. Earlier this week the UAE announced a voluntary withdrawal of its remaining “counterterrorism” forces from Yemen. That move followed a Saudi strike on what Riyadh said was a UAE-linked weapons shipment in the southern port city of Mukalla.
Positions And Forces On The Ground
Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, warned that further STC entrenchment in the provinces would carry severe consequences. The STC has refused to pull back and says it will remain in Hadramout and al-Mahra. STC spokesperson Mohammed al-Naqeeb said the group is coordinating movements with the Homeland Shield forces, which had been the main local security force before the STC advance; Homeland Shield is affiliated with the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition.
Background
Yemen has been engulfed in civil war since Houthi forces seized the capital Sanaa in 2014. The Houthis continue to control large parts of the northwest, while the STC and the Riyadh-backed government contest authority across southern and eastern areas.
Note: Reporting on responsibility for the flight restriction remains contested, with differing statements from Saudi, Yemeni government and STC-aligned sources.
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