THE first flight carrying pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, in more than seven years took off from Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa at the weekend.

The airport’s manager Khalid al-Shayyef said further flights to the coastal city of Jeddah would take place on Monday and Wednesday, and more were planned.

Yemenis from Houthi-controlled parts of the country have been unable to travel to Saudi Arabia since the latter led a coalition to war with them in 2015, seeking to restore the ousted regime of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled to Riyadh after his overthrow the previous year.