Major airport closure raises concerns over worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen

The ongoing closure of Yemen's Aden International Airport has raised concerns that the country's humanitarian predicament may further worsen.

The airport is a primary aviation gateway for people in southern Yemen to travel for medical care, education and labor services. However, almost all commercial flights have been suspended since the tensions escalated earlier this month between the Yemeni government forces and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a major party to the Yemeni Civil War, with only a few flights operating between Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

The airport closure has left hundreds of passengers trapped in the waiting hall and unable to depart.

"I came here from outside Aden and planned to go to Egypt for medical treatment. There are really a lot of people like me who are affected. Due to the airport closure, I have been staying in hotel for three days, incurring significant losses - not only in accommodation costs but also in various daily living expenses," said Abdulkarim Mohammed, a stranded passenger.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-sponsored STC have each blamed the other for the airport closure.

Saudi Arabia has recently ordered all international flights departing and entering Yemen to undergo security screenings at Jeddah Airport before continuing to their final destinations. While some of those restrictions were later eased, they remain in place for all flights traveling to and from the UAE.

Officials loyal to the STC refused to comply with the new protocols ordered by Yemen's central government, and partially halted operations in Aden International Airport, said a source within the Yemeni government.

The Yemeni government said that the control on some international routes was ordered in accordance with the previously declared state of emergency, and at the same time accused the STC of suspending all flights at the airport.

However, the STC-controlled Ministry of Transport said that Saudi Arabia imposed flight restrictions without providing prior clear communication and explanation, which eventually led to the closure of the airport.

Analysts say that the shutdown of Aden International Airport forces tens of thousands of people seeking medical assistance, educational opportunities and economic activities to suspend their plans, which will further deteriorate the already fragile livelihood situation in Yemen.

Tensions between the factions escalated after the STC seized large swathes of the oil-rich Hadramout province and the eastern province of Al-Mahrah last month. Riyadh considers these areas a "red line" due to their proximity to the Saudi border and their concentration of Yemen's remaining energy reserves.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces captured Sanaa and large swathes of the north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015.

Formed in 2017, the UAE-sponsored STC seeks self-determination and eventual independence for southern Yemen. Despite joining the Saudi-led coalition and integrating into Yemen's ruling Presidential Leadership Council in 2022, the group continues to push for southern sovereignty, leading to recurring disputes over power-sharing and control of resources.

Major airport closure raises concerns over worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen

Major airport closure raises concerns over worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen

Major airport closure raises concerns over worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen

Major airport closure raises concerns over worsening humanitarian situatio in Yemen

Major airport closure raises concerns over worsening humanitarian situatio in Yemen

China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.

The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.

Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.

Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.

The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.

Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.

"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.

China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth