Minister of Transport meets Chairman of Redeployment Coordination Committee, General Michael Perry

Minister of Transport, Major General Abdul Wahab Yahya Al-Durrah, stressed the necessity of rehabilitating and operating Hodeidah International Airport because of its strategic, economic, commercial and investment importance for Yemen in general and Hodeida province in particular.

Al-Durrah said during his meeting  in Sana’a with the Chairman of the Redeployment Coordination Committee, General Michael Perry, “Hodeidah  International Airport is gaining economic and humanitarian importance as it is an air cargo airport, and its restart will give the province a major recovery and life will return for citizens in all areas of the province and neighboring provinces.”

He pointed out that Hodeidah  Airport is an important and vital facility for Yemen in general and must be activated as a first stage for international and domestic flights to alleviate the suffering of travel , facilitate commercial , investment movement and for citizens in their movement between the provinces of the Republic.

Minister Al-Durra said that discussions with the United Nations office are continuing to increase flights through Sana’a International Airport and open new destinations of importance to the Yemeni people in general, patients in particular.

He said, “The conditions in Hodeida provinces are improving, but the recovery in Hodeida Port is still partial ,limited, and its activity is limited to 35 percent, even though the beneficiaries of the port’s services exceed 70 percent of the needs of the population of Yemen.”

He said, “We submitted an objection to the regional director of the development program so that the reduction in marine insurance would be inclusive of all the ports of the Republic of Yemen, and the efforts of the United Nations should be inclusive of all ports, not just some, and we demand the name of the ports in the entire Republic of Yemen.”

For his part, Deputy Minister of Transport Mohammed Al-Hashimi stressed the necessity of fully opening Sana’a International Airport as it is a humanitarian aspect for the Yemeni people in general.

He said, “The United Nations must pay attention to the humanitarian aspect and feel the suffering of the Yemeni people.”

In turn, the Chairman of the Redeployment Coordination Committee explained that they are working with the United Nations to rehabilitate the port of Hodeidah in accordance with the Stockholm Agreement, in addition to examining possibilities for the rehabilitation of Hodeidah International Airport.

He stressed that the coordination committee seeks to make the ports and airports in Yemen unrestricted, which would contribute to alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people.