Yemeni pilgrims embark on first direct flight to Saudi Arabia since 2016

More than 270 departed from Sanaa on Saturday

The first batch of more than 270 Yemeni Hajj pilgrims left for Makkah from Sanaa airport. EPA

A plane carrying more than 270 Yemeni Muslim pilgrims left Sanaa for Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the first commercial flight from between the two countries since 2016.

It was the first of five flights to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, said Khalid Al Shayyef, head of the Yemen airport.

Two more Yemenia Airways flights are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday, with arrangements being made for another two.

Millions of Muslims from around the world are set to converge on Makkah for several days of rituals at the holy sites.

The resumption of flights is another sign of easing tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia following years of conflict after the takeover of Yemen's capital in 2014.

This takeover prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene and close off the Sanaa airport in August 2016, as part of an air and sea blockade on Houthi-held areas.

One of the travellers, Mohammad Askar, expressed relief at the possibility of the blockade ending and the airport reopening.

“We are very happy and relieved, and I cannot describe the feeling,” he said.

About 200 flights would be needed to accommodate the 24,000 people who wish to travel, said Houthi works minister Ghaleb Mutlaq.

“We consider what is happening today as a good gesture, so that airports, especially Sanaa airport, will be opened to Yemeni travellers,” said Najeeb Al Aji, the Houthi minister of guidance, Hajj, and Umrah.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis has made exceptions for aid flights, which provide a lifeline for the population amid what the UN calls one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises.

The United States welcomed the Hajj flights as a positive step, saying it was "the latest in a series of efforts that have brought relief to Yemenis since the UN-sponsored truce began 15 months ago, and we thank Saudi Arabia for enabling the flights".

Peace efforts have gained momentum since Saudi Arabia announced a surprise rapprochement with Iran in March, seven years after they broke off ties.

The move came as Saudi Arabia seeks to calm the region, revamp its oil-reliant economy and attract investment.

The Saudi-led coalition and Houthi negotiators have held repeated talks aimed at ending the conflict, which has killed more than 150,000 people.

“We are all aware that the road to peace is going to be long and difficult,” UN special envoy Hans Grundberg said at a forum in The Hague this week.