Yemen’s Houthi administration has started renovating Sana’a airport, two industry sources said, as the Sana’a prepares for a possible reopening of the facility under U.N.-led peace efforts, Reuters said.
The Saudi-led coalition’s spokesman did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment on whether it had agreed to reopen air space and allow the airport to resume regular operations.
The industry sources said that construction work had begun in some parts of the airport, which has been closed since 2015 with the exception of U.N. flights.
It has been targeted dozens of times by coalition air strikes over the last six years. The military alliance says the facility is used for arms smuggling, something the Houthis deny.
Airport director Khaled al-Shayef said in a Twitter post that he met Yemenia airlines to discuss maintenance and equipment at the airport, and also held talks with the Yemen Oil Company on fuel supplies for aircraft.
The United Nations and the United States have called for the removal of restrictions on Houthi-held ports and Sana’a airport to ease a dire humanitarian crisis, while also pressing the Houthis to agree to a nationwide ceasefire.
The coalition has also restricted access to Hodeidah port, the main entry point for Yemen’s commercial and aid imports.
Riyadh and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government have linked removing the blockade to a truce deal, a condition the Houthis have rejected.
Diplomatic efforts have intensified last week. U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths held talks in Iran with the country’s foreign minister on a two-day visit, the second one this year, his office tweeted on Thursday.
Oman, a main regional backer of peace efforts which hosts several Houthi officials, sent a delegation to Sanaa to push the peace deal with Houthi officials. Oman’s foreign minister arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for talks.
