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yesterday

Evacuation Flights Set to Begin for 400+ Tourists Stranded on Yemen’s Socotra

Authorities plan Yemenia Airways departures via Aden to Jeddah on Jan. 7 after a Saudi–UAE rift disrupted the UAE-linked routes that usually serve the UNESCO-listed archipelago.

Image
Tourists explore the island of Socotra, Yemen.
Hills leading up to the Diksam Plateau overlook the sea in Socotra, Yemen on October 15, 2025.
Empty tents at a camp site in the town of Qalansiyah, Socotra Island, Yemen.

Overview

  • Local officials say 416 foreign visitors of mixed nationalities, including Russians, Americans, British and French, have been unable to leave since a late-December state of emergency halted flights.
  • Yemenia Airways flights are planned to move tourists from Socotra to Aden and on to Jeddah, with an airport official citing a prohibition on direct UAE–Yemen routes after recent clashes.
  • The suspension followed a flare-up between UAE-backed STC forces and Saudi-backed government troops on the mainland, with reports of a UAE withdrawal and a shift in control at Socotra’s airport.
  • Embassies have limited ability to assist inside Yemen, and stranded travelers report cash shortages with no ATMs or card payments, as some were advised to consider boat travel to Oman.
  • Socotra, administered by the UAE-aligned STC and typically served by Air Arabia flights from Abu Dhabi, saw its access constrained as regional power competition spilled into travel and logistics.