Aden airport shuts down as Saudi–UAE rift spills into Yemen

Flights at Yemen’s Aden International Airport were suspended on Thursday as political and military frictions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates spilled into civilian air travel, underscoring the growing rivalry between the two Gulf powers over Yemen’s future.

The disruption followed a decision by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, backed by Riyadh, to introduce new controls on air traffic linked to the UAE. According to regional sources, the measures were intended to assert oversight at a moment of rising tension on the ground. 

Rather than implement the new requirements, Yemen’s transport minister ordered a complete halt to airport operations, effectively grounding all flights in and out of Aden.

The move drew sharp criticism from the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the UAE-supported separatist authority that now dominates much of southern Yemen. The group accused Saudi Arabia of imposing last-minute rules that left local authorities with little choice but to shut down the airport altogether.

The airport closure comes amid a rapid deterioration in relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over Yemen. Saudi Arabia has recently warned that advances by STC-aligned forces toward areas near its border threaten its national security, a claim the UAE has rejected. In response, Abu Dhabi announced plans to withdraw its remaining military presence from the country.

Earlier this week when Saudi-led coalition aircraft struck a port facility in the southern city of Mukalla, which the coalition said was being used to facilitate foreign military support for separatist forces.

With Aden’s airport now closed, civilians are once again caught in the middle of regional power struggles, as rival agendas between former allies increasingly disrupt daily life in Yemen’s south and deepen the country’s already fragile political crisis.