Aden (South24 Center)

Yemen Airways (Yemenia) has suspended all domestic flights to and from the Socotra Archipelago, in the latest sign that a worsening aviation fuel crisis has begun to affect air travel in areas controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

The airline said its flights to and from Socotra would stop starting Sunday, May 31, after fuel supplies became insufficient to operate aircraft according to the approved schedule. Yemenia’s office in Socotra said the disruption was beyond the company’s control and apologized to passengers affected by the decision.

The company added that it is coordinating with the relevant authorities to resume flights once aviation fuel becomes available and operational requirements are met.

The suspension of Socotra flights came hours after Yemenia canceled its scheduled Seiyun–Cairo flight on Saturday, May 30, due to the unavailability of the fuel needed to operate the flight from Seiyun Airport.

A Yemenia spokesperson said the cancellation was caused by a severe shortage of aviation fuel under exceptional circumstances and an ongoing jet fuel crisis.

However, the crisis did not begin with the suspension of Socotra flights. Earlier in May, Yemenia canceled a scheduled flight to Al-Ghaydah Airport in Al-Mahra Governorate due to the lack of fuel there.

The company said at the time that flight IY430, which was scheduled to operate on the Aden–Al-Ghaydah–Socotra route and return, had been rerouted to Aden–Riyan–Socotra–Aden under flight number IY420.

In another sign of the widening impact of the crisis, Yemenia warned that the shortage of aviation fuel at Yemeni airports could affect the return program for Yemeni pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.

The company said aviation fuel remained unavailable at Yemeni airports, despite earlier assurances that a new shipment would arrive on May 28.

According to the company’s warning, if the crisis continues, Yemenia may be forced to operate some flights with a reduced load of no more than 120 pilgrims per flight, allowing aircraft to refuel at Jeddah Airport.

It also warned of possible delays in transporting baggage, with some luggage to be shipped on later flights.

Yemenia also said some of its aircraft had recently been forced to stop at Jeddah and Djibouti airports to refuel because of the severe shortage of aviation fuel inside Yemen.

The crisis has added new pressure on Yemen’s already fragile air transport sector, where limited airport capacity, rising operating costs, and years of war have left air travel vulnerable to sudden disruptions.

The Yemen Petroleum Company attributed the shortage to disruptions in global supply chains and rising shipping and maritime insurance costs, amid regional tensions affecting the Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz.

These pressures have increased the cost and difficulty of securing fuel for Yemen’s vital sectors.

The aviation disruptions come as areas controlled by the Yemeni government face worsening fuel and electricity crises. In recent days, the government raised the price of imported diesel by 24.5%, citing higher global prices, transport costs, and maritime insurance.

The pressure on fuel supplies has coincided with the continuing electricity crisis in several governorates in South Yemen, where prolonged power outages have worsened amid rising temperatures and growing public frustration over deteriorating services.