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Jordan readies Sana'a route
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs announced on Friday that Royal Jordanian Airlines will launch regular commercial flights between Amman and Sana'a, citing humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people and support for Saudi Arabia’s efforts to advance the peace process in Yemen.
“Jordan announced today, Friday, its intention to operate regular air flights between Amman and Sana'a, in response to the humanitarian needs in Yemen, in an initiative welcomed by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Yemeni government, which warned the Ansar Allah group (the Houthis) not to miss this opportunity”
The ministry said the initiative is being implemented in line with previous understandings on operating commercial air services between Jordan and Yemen, while “the necessary technical and logistical arrangements are currently being finalized to commence the scheduled flights.”
SANA also framed the move as a plan to operate regular air flights between Amman and Sana'a, saying the technical and logistical procedures necessary to commence operation are being completed.
The Anadolu Ajansı report added that the Jordanian move opens a regularly scheduled air route to Sana'a, which has been under the control of the Houthis since September 2014, while the internationally recognized Yemeni government is based in the temporary capital Aden.
Yemen welcomes, Houthis resist
The Yemeni government welcomed the humanitarian initiative to resume air travel between Sana'a and Amman, stressing readiness to provide all necessary facilities while preserving the state’s sovereignty and its exclusive authority to manage airspace and airports.
In that welcome, Yemen Monitor quoted the government urging the Houthis to discard what it described as a rhetoric of mobilization and escalation and to engage in responsible steps that strengthen prospects for peace, while warning that the armed forces and security services will remain prepared to handle any escalation.
In contrast, the Houthi response described in العربي21 came with conditions, quoting a Saba News Agency account of a source in the Houthis’ negotiating delegation saying: “The announcement by some parties to open flights to Sana'a is welcome, within an agreement with the competent authorities in Sana'a, without restriction or condition and ending the guardianship over Yemen.”
The same account said the Houthis demanded that the airport be opened “to all destinations without exception” as part of an agreement that ends the guardianship over Yemen, and it linked the issue to other humanitarian files including paying Yemeni employees’ salaries.
Runway crisis and next steps
Anadolu Ajansı placed the flight announcement in a wider context of tensions around Sana'a airport, saying the Yemeni government stated last Monday that its forces bombed the airport’s runway to prevent the landing of an Iranian plane.
“On Friday, the Jordanian government announced that the national carrier, Royal Jordanian, will operate regular flights from Amman to Sana'a in implementation of the preceding understandings between Jordan and Yemen in this regard”
The report said the Yemeni government described that action as a response to violation of the country’s sovereignty, and it added that the Yemeni government condemned Iran’s dispatch of a plane to Sana'a on July 3, 2026, saying its aim was “to transport a Houthi delegation to Tehran.”
Al Jazeera Net described the Jordanian initiative as being welcomed by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Yemeni government, while warning the Ansar Allah group (the Houthis) not to miss this opportunity.
It also noted that the Jordanian statement said the technical and logistical procedures required to operate the flights were completed “without specifying a date to start them or their schedule,” and it reiterated that the announcement comes after tension in Sana'a airport’s air movement following the Yemeni government’s statement about bombing the runway.
