Fuel Crisis Disrupts Air Return of Yemeni Pilgrims; Yemenia Warns of Reduced Flight Capacity

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:

Yemenia Airways has warned of the impact of the aviation fuel crisis at Yemeni airports on the program for returning pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, stating that continued fuel shortages may force changes to the approved flight schedule and affect the transportation of pilgrims in the coming days.

In an official memorandum addressed to the Ministry of Endowments and Guidance, the airline explained that aviation fuel is still unavailable at Yemeni airports despite previous assurances that a new fuel shipment would arrive on May 28. This situation threatens the implementation of the planned schedule for transporting pilgrims.

Yemenia stated that if the crisis continues, it will be forced to operate flights with a maximum load of only 120 pilgrims per flight, allowing aircraft to refuel at Jeddah Airport. This could result in delays in transporting some luggage, with part of it being carried on subsequent flights.

The airline called on the Ministry of Endowments to coordinate with the relevant authorities and the oil company to expedite the provision of fuel at Aden Airport, in order to avoid further disruptions to the pilgrims’ return program.

It also requested that organizers inform pilgrims to limit themselves to one bag per passenger as part of measures to reduce flight loads. In addition, the airline emphasized the importance of transporting Zamzam water containers by land rather than by air to help reduce baggage weight and speed up transportation operations.

This comes amid an ongoing aviation fuel supply crisis in Yemen, driven by developments and disruptions affecting the Strait of Hormuz. The situation has already impacted the operations of the national carrier and raised concerns that its effects could spread further to travel services and seasonal flights, particularly the return of Yemeni pilgrims and other passenger flights.