وزير النقل اليمني لـ«عكاظ»: السعودية الأبرز والأهم عربياً في دعم الشعب اليمني

Yemeni Minister of Transport Dr. Abdul Salam Humeid confirmed that Saudi support for Yemen is the most prominent in the Arab world, varying between political, security, military, economic, humanitarian, and developmental aspects. In his interview with "Okaz," he stated that Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has stood by the Yemeni people in facing the humanitarian and economic crisis through direct financial support to the Central Bank to limit the deterioration of the local currency and cover the general budget deficit, including grants of oil derivatives to support electricity stability in the liberated areas. He praised the efforts of the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen in a range of important developmental projects aimed at enhancing the efficiency and capacity of ports by providing them with equipment, means, cranes, and navigational devices, and rehabilitating all airports along with dozens of projects in the transport sector. The Yemeni Minister of Transport addressed important topics in the following dialogue:

** Tell us about the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen in the fields of transport?

* The support from our brothers in Saudi Arabia is among the most prominent and important Arab support, varying between political, security, military, economic, humanitarian, and developmental. Since the Houthi coup against the constitutional legitimacy in Yemen in September 2014, Saudi Arabia, led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, has provided comprehensive support to Yemen at various political, military, economic, and humanitarian levels, aiming to restore the state and end the coup, and to support the Yemeni people in facing the humanitarian and economic crisis. This includes direct financial support to the Central Bank to limit the deterioration of the local currency and cover the general budget deficit, as well as grants of oil derivatives to support electricity stability in the liberated areas. There is also humanitarian and relief support, and support for developmental projects in various sectors, especially in energy, health, education, transport, and agriculture, rebuilding state institutions, and enhancing capacities through training and rehabilitation via a range of initiatives and programs implemented by the King Salman Relief Center, the Saudi Development Fund, and the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen. Regarding support for the transport sector in Yemen, the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen has implemented a number of important developmental projects aimed at enhancing the efficiency and capacity of ports by providing them with equipment, means, cranes, and navigational devices, especially Aden and Mukalla ports in Hadhramaut, and Al-Mahra and Socotra ports, along with rehabilitating airports in Aden International Airport and Al-Ghaydah Airport in Al-Mahra, and developing and supporting safety systems at Socotra Airport. All of these airports are currently operating internal and external flights effectively.

Flow of Goods

** What are the implications of these projects on the conditions and services provided to citizens?

* Certainly, this support in rehabilitating and developing these vital facilities, especially maritime ports, land ports, and airports, has had a significant impact on community life through the services these facilities provide to secure the flow of commercial goods, food supplies, and humanitarian relief supplies from abroad, in addition to facilitating air transport services for travelers at the level of liberated provinces or for travel abroad and returning with ease and comfort.

230 Projects and Initiatives

** What about the support provided by the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen?

* Since its establishment in 2018, the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen aims to provide economic and developmental support in all fields in the Republic of Yemen by implementing infrastructure projects, improving the level of basic services for the Yemeni people, and providing job opportunities in coordination with the government and local authorities. According to official information issued by the program, it has implemented about (230) projects and initiatives in (8) essential sectors (health, education, infrastructure, energy and transport, agriculture, water, and capacity building).

Regarding the support of the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen for the transport sector in Yemen, the program has implemented since its establishment the rehabilitation of Aden International Airport and Al-Ghaydah International Airport, supported and developed safety measures at Socotra Airport, along with rehabilitating land ports in Shahn in Al-Mahra and Al-Wadiah in Hadhramaut, in addition to supplying Aden and Mukalla ports with equipment and means to enhance their operational capacities, and rehabilitating the Al-Manshatoon port in Al-Mahra and equipping it with navigational devices.

Aden Airport

** What about Aden International Airport, which is considered today the main artery, and the role of the Saudi program in its rehabilitation?

* Aden International Airport suffered extensive damage due to the Houthi shelling in 2015, which led to its complete shutdown, similar to other facilities, ports, and roads that were significantly affected by that war.

In the subsequent years after the liberation of Aden, the brothers in the United Arab Emirates worked on rehabilitating and operating it to transport the wounded and sick, and later commercial flights were opened. Since the beginning of 2020, the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen launched the first phase, followed by the second phase in maintaining departure and arrival halls and cargo hangars and providing electrical generators, in addition to rehabilitating the aircraft taxiway, and all these works have been completed.

Later, since 2022, the program announced the addition of two more projects, which are the maintenance and rehabilitation of the landing and take-off runway, as well as providing air navigation and communication means. In the coming days, work will begin on completing them, and with the completion of the rehabilitation of the main runway and the air navigation and communication means, Aden International Airport will be at a high level of readiness and operation according to international standards and the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

** What about the other airports and when will they operate at full capacity to ease the burden on the Yemeni citizen?

* There are 7 airports in the liberated areas: Aden International, Sayun International, Al-Riyan International, Ataq International, Al-Ghaydah International, Socotra International, and Al-Mokha International. Some airports have been rehabilitated by the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen, namely Aden International Airport and Al-Ghaydah International Airport, while Al-Riyan Airport in Mukalla was rehabilitated by the brothers in the United Arab Emirates. Currently, all seven airports in the liberated areas are ready and operating internal and external flights, except for Al-Mokha International Airport, despite its technical readiness. In the coming period, it will be included in the flight schedules, and the Ministry of Transport is making significant and diligent efforts through direct supervision and guidance to the General Authority for Civil Aviation to secure all needs and requirements of devices and means and ensure the success of operations at those airports.

High Risks

** What has the war left behind, and how can its effects be overcome?

* The war waged by the Houthis has had devastating effects on the Yemeni economy and the people due to the destruction of facilities, ports, airports, and roads. It has disrupted investment activity, caused national capital to exit the country, halted the export of crude oil and gas, reduced job opportunities, and contributed to the widening of poverty, with about (80%) of the population living below the poverty line. It has negatively impacted the government's ability to meet the community's needs for essential services, and as a result of this war, ports and airports have become high-risk areas, leading to a significant increase in insurance fees imposed by international insurance companies, which has negatively affected the prices of goods and services.

Destruction of Aircraft

** The discussion remains about the aircraft, especially after the destruction of 4 planes at Sana'a Airport. Tell us about the current fleet and how it can be redeveloped?

After the war, the national carrier (Yemenia Airlines) was left with only two aircraft. Over the past years, the company, with the support and interest of the Ministry of Transport, managed to purchase 5 aircraft, bringing the company's fleet to 7 aircraft. As a result of the humanitarian truce in 2022 by the international community, Sana'a Airport was opened, and humanitarian flights were operated from Sana'a to Jordan. Later, a directive was issued from the highest political level to coordinate with the international envoy and the brothers in the coalition to transport pilgrims from Sana'a Airport to Jeddah. Consequently, the Houthis hijacked and detained 4 aircraft at Sana'a Airport, and prior to that, they seized the company's funds, which amounted to about (130) million dollars in banks in Sana'a. With the escalation of events between the Houthis and the Israeli army, the 4 aircraft were destroyed, despite the attempts of the company's leadership in Aden to persuade the Houthis to move the aircraft to Aden Airport, Jordan, or any safe airport to preserve them, but the Houthis refused to respond to the attempts of the company's leadership in Aden.

Currently, the company has 4 aircraft in Aden operating to transport all passengers in Yemen in the liberated areas and areas under Houthi control to all external destinations (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, India, and Djibouti), in addition to operating internal flights between the liberated provinces. The Yemenia Airlines is currently studying the purchase of new aircraft as well as small aircraft to cover internal transport between the airports of the liberated provinces. In line with the government's and Ministry of Transport's directions to encourage private and foreign investment in the aviation sector, licenses have been granted to 3 private airlines that are currently completing the necessary procedures, and the first flight of one of the private airlines has been launched, and in the coming months, other private companies will launch their flights.

** What are your most prominent future projects?

* Reviving the transport sector and making it more impactful and contributive to development and economic activity requires adopting a national strategy. Currently, we are working with regional and international partners to develop a national strategy for the transport sector in Yemen that includes a vision and objectives over the next 10-20 years to build an integrated, safe, and sustainable national transport system that connects Yemen internally and externally, supporting comprehensive and sustainable development. The aim is to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the transport sector through infrastructure development, improving legislation, capacity building, adopting digital transformation, and utilizing renewable energy, and activating partnerships with the private sector. In the field of ports and maritime affairs, there are currently a number of plans and programs being worked on by the ministry and its affiliated institutions and agencies. In the maritime affairs and ports sector, due to the significant investments required to modernize and develop the ports sector and the lack of necessary financial resources, the government and ministry are seeking to achieve these developmental projects through investment partnerships with local, regional, and international parties, either through investment partnerships or through build-operate-transfer agreements (P.O.T), to modernize and develop the ports (Aden Port, Mukalla and Broom Ports in Hadhramaut, Qishn Port in Shabwa, Al-Manshatoon Port in Al-Mahra, and Al-Mokha Port in Taiz), in addition to completing the procedures and starting the construction of Socotra Port, funded by a loan from the Kuwaiti Development Fund to enhance commercial and developmental activity in the Socotra Archipelago, and developing and enhancing the activity of the General Authority for Maritime Affairs by purchasing modern boats to combat marine pollution, establishing a rescue center and a laboratory to analyze marine pollution levels, completing maritime legislation in coordination with the Ministry of Legal Affairs, updating and developing investment laws in maritime activities, and working with relevant authorities to implement a single-window system in ports to facilitate maritime navigation according to the (FAL) agreement issued by the International Maritime Organization, and rehabilitating maritime personnel by completing the infrastructure of the maritime training center and providing the necessary equipment and curricula to hold mandatory courses. There are ongoing efforts by the ministry and the Aden Gulf Ports Authority with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport to establish a branch of the academy in Aden to qualify personnel in the field of maritime navigation and maritime transport logistics. In the field of air transport.

There are efforts led by the ministry and the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Meteorology aimed at enhancing and developing the sector through a number of projects, the most prominent of which is completing the rehabilitation and equipping of Aden International Airport by completing the maintenance and rehabilitation of the main landing and take-off runway through the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen, establishing a modern building for the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Meteorology at Aden International Airport, establishing a modern building for the Aviation Institute for training and qualifying employees in the air transport sector, completing arrangements and procedures for establishing the future Aden International Airport in the Ras Omran area in the Buraiqa district through investment under the (P.O.T) system, establishing a regional maintenance hangar at Aden International Airport for the maintenance of all types of aircraft funded by Yemenia Airlines, enhancing the national carrier's fleet (Yemenia Airlines) with aircraft to keep pace with the increase in air transport movement, developing partnerships with the private and foreign sectors in the aviation field, and intensifying training programs to develop the capabilities of workers in the air transport sector domestically and through Arab and foreign aviation academies. In the field of land transport, there are a number of projects aimed at modernizing and developing the infrastructure of land ports in Hadhramaut Governorate (Al-Wadiah Port) and Al-Mahra Governorate (Shahn Port), providing means and equipment to enhance their performance efficiency, which connect Yemen with brotherly Arab countries (Saudi Arabia and Oman), and establishing central land transport stations in the capital Aden and, in the future, in the capitals of other governorates equipped with all services to accommodate and launch buses of international and local land transport companies, and setting policies aimed at encouraging and motivating the private and foreign sectors to establish modern and advanced transport companies.

In conclusion, we can only extend our sincere thanks and gratitude to our brothers in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait for all the economic, relief, and developmental support they have provided, which has greatly contributed to alleviating humanitarian suffering and maintaining a minimum level of economic and living stability in the liberated provinces.