ADEN, Yemen, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-backed Yemeni government announced Monday that Aden's International Airport will officially resume activities and non-stop flights on Tuesday after receiving permission from the Saudi-led coalition.
An official at Aden's Airport told Xinhua that the government-controlled airport will be open on Tuesday and flights by the Yemeni Airways will be resumed.
He said that the first flight will depart from Egyptian capital Cairo to the southern port city of Aden after several days of temporary closure imposed by the Saudi-led coalition.
On Sunday, sources at the government said that the Saudi-led coalition rejected providing Yemeni Airways with a permit to resume its flights from and to Yemen.
Saudi Arabia announced the closure of Yemen's ports, airports and all borders of its southern neighboring poor country in response to the missile attack fired by the Shiite Houthi group on Riyadh airport.
Prices of food and fuel skyrocketed within hours of the closure announcement. In some northern provinces controlled by Houthis, fuel has already run out. Many public hospitals and water pumps were shut down, according to local residents.
Over the past week, the Saudi-led Arab coalition has gradually reopened some ports.
However, Sanaa airport that is controlled by Houthis remains closed, including for humanitarian flights by organizations and the United Nations.
Local observers say that most Yemenis live under Houthi control and they are 80-90% dependent on imported food and fuel through Houthi-controlled ports in particular the port of Hodeidah that is still closed.
Earlier in the day, thousands of people staged a mass rally in front of the United Nations headquarters in the Yemeni capital Sanaa to protest against air, sea and land blockade imposed by the Saudi-led military coalition.
Elsewhere in Aden, where the Saudi-backed government is based, hundreds of university students demonstrated to protest "the unbelievable raise in prices of the public transportations and the severe fuel crisis in addition to the deterioration of the currency."
The United Nations and the European Union have warned that the all-out blockade could push millions of Yemenis into mass famine.
The UN aid agencies said the coalition's move to ease the siege was not enough and warned of mass famine and health catastrophes in Yemen's north.
The coalition said aid supplies would continue to access the northern ports, but the UN agencies said they were not able to reach the northern ports.
On Sunday, the Houthi movement warned on its Al Masirah satellite TV that it could target the warships and oil tankers from the Saudi-led coalition countries in the international waters of the Red Sea in retaliation for the closure of the Yemeni ports.
