Freezing balances and preventing the sale of tickets.. Al-Houthi blackmails "Yemenia Airlines" to implement his demands for new destinations
English - Wednesday 05 April 2023 الساعة 10:03 pm
Sana'a, NewsYemen, exclusive:
The Houthi militia, Iran's arm in Yemen, revealed the truth about the escalatory measures it approved a few days ago against Yemenia Airlines, including stopping the company from selling tickets and freezing its assets in Yemeni banks located in their areas of control.
The Houthi leader Abd al-Wahhab al-Durra, appointed to the post of Minister of Transport in the internationally unrecognized coup government, made statements in which he made it clear that the reason for their arbitrary measures against Yemen Airways is to demand flights to new destinations through Sana'a International Airport and not be satisfied with flights to Jordan and Egypt.
The Houthi leader explained that the leadership of "Yemeni Airlines" rejected the Houthi demands to operate new flights away from what was agreed upon in the recent UN armistice, which the militias repudiated in October last year after it lasted for 6 months. The terms of the armistice included the operation of Sana'a International Airport for flights to Jordan and Egypt, and despite the end of the armistice, flights are still continuing to and from Sana'a Airport, according to what was agreed upon.
Recently, Houthi leaders in the Ministry of Transport in Sana'a made demands that include the operation of new flights through Sana'a Airport to India, Egypt and other countries, under the pretext of saving the wounded and sick. However, the leadership of Yemen Airways refused to implement the demands of the Houthi leaders and specify other destinations away from the armistice agreement sponsored by the United Nations, and the militias refused to renew it.
The company's refusal to operate new destinations from Sana'a airport prompted the Houthi leadership to issue directives against it, starting with preventing the sale of tickets, as well as stopping bank balances and preventing their disposal. These measures come as a process of blackmail and pressure in order to force the company to yield to its demands and to operate new international flights away from any political agreements.
The Houthi leader, Abd al-Wahhab al-Durrah, appointed as Minister of Transport in Sana'a, confirmed: "In the event that the company continues to take such wrong decisions and procrastinate in implementing flights to other destinations required for patients, such as India and Cairo, the necessary measures will be taken so that the company is committed to serving citizens from all airports with all impartiality."
The Houthi leader added, in a statement published by the Yemeni news agency, Saba, in its Houthi version: "The continued ban on selling tickets for Sana'a-Amman flights in all governorates of the republic led to an increase in the suffering of patients and the company incurred losses."
On the other hand, the Yemeni government, which is internationally recognized, hastened to hold an urgent meeting with the management leadership of the Yemeni Airlines Company in order to study the escalatory steps taken by the Houthi militia in its areas of control against the company.
The government announced its rejection of the extortion operations practiced by the Houthi militia against Yemen Airways, calling, through the Yemeni Minister of Transport, Abdulsalam Saleh Hamid, the Houthis to remove their hands from the balances of the airline, the country's national carrier, without restriction or condition.
The minister, Abdul Salam Saleh Hamid, confirmed during the meeting with officials of the company, the ministry's refusal to prejudice the revenues of the Yemenia airline, whatever the reasons and justifications. He explained that the Houthi militia had frozen the company's financial balances in Sana'a banks after it refused a request to expand flights to other international destinations not approved by the United Nations and the leadership of the Arab coalition within the terms of the armistice that ended in early October of last year.
Minister Humaid stressed that it is not allowed to add any signatures to checks and financial transactions. He said that this is an exclusive right of the chairman of the board of directors of the company and the deputy for financial affairs, according to the company's rules and regulations, and the ministry refuses to place a representative or observer on the company's financial activity.
