At least two Airbus A320s associated with Yemenia airways appeared to be stuck on the ground in Sanaa airport without explanation, according to flight-tracking data.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, the minister in charge of Hajj for Yemen’s internationally recognized government alleged the Houthi rebels seized aircraft that had brought back pilgrims from the Hajj.
The Houthis and Yemen’s IRG have been increasingly at odds in recent months over revenue issues, even after a long push by a Saudi-led coalition backing the government to end the country’s war.
The Houthis have faced issues with having enough currency to support the economy in areas they hold — something signaled by their move to introduce a new coin into the Yemeni currency, the riyal. Yemen’s government in Aden and other nations criticized the move, saying the Houthis are turning to counterfeiting.
Aden authorities have demanded all banks move their headquarters there as a means to stop the worst slide ever in the riyal’s value and re-exert their control over the economy. Aden also is pushing for other businesses to leave Sanaa.
Meanwhile suspected attack by Houthi rebels early Wednesday targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
The attack follow the departure of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower after an eight-month deployment in which the aircraft carrier led the American response to the Houthi assaults.
The captain “of a merchant vessel reported a missile impacted the water in close proximity to the vessel,” the UKMTO said. “The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”