Aden (South24 Center)

The Iran-backed Houthi militia launched two ballistic missile attacks on Aden International Airport on Wednesday (October 28), forcing the evacuation of hundreds of passengers, including patients, and disrupting air traffic at one of South Yemen's main civilian and humanitarian gateways, according to private sources who spoke to South24 Center and a statement by Yemen's Ministry of Transport.

The ministry said the airport was targeted at approximately 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. local time, raising the number of attacks on the facility to six in recent days.

Private sources told South24 Center that the Houthis initially targeted the airport with a ballistic missile before issuing a warning demanding its immediate evacuation. The militia claimed that a Saudi military cargo aircraft carrying weapons was present at the airport and threatened further strikes.

The threats prompted authorities to evacuate the airport, forcing hundreds of passengers, including patients awaiting flights, to leave the facility. A second missile attack followed the evacuation, the sources said.

A security source told South24 Center that air defense systems engaged drones flying over Aden following the initial attack, amid continued Houthi threats. Later, a powerful explosion was heard across the city before another security source confirmed that the airport had come under a second missile attack.

Separately, a police official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that a Houthi missile had struck an area under Saudi forces' control within the airport perimeter. Witnesses cited by Anadolu Agency reported that a missile landed at the adjacent Al-Nasr Camp, which houses Yemeni Coast Guard forces and Interior Ministry facilities.

The attacks disrupted civilian aviation operations. Two Transport Ministry officials told Reuters that air traffic had been halted following the strikes. Local reports also indicated that Yemenia Airways flights arriving from Cairo and Mumbai were diverted to Djibouti and Mukalla, respectively, after being unable to land in Aden.

Reuters separately quoted an aid source as saying that some United Nations personnel had left the airport shortly before the attack and that no one was injured. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said its personnel travelling through Aden were safe and accounted for.

There was no independently confirmed assessment of the damage caused by Wednesday's strikes or an official timetable for the resumption of flights.

In a statement, Yemen's Ministry of Transport condemned the repeated attacks, warning that they posed a direct threat to passengers, aircraft crews and airport personnel, as well as to humanitarian and relief operations. It called on the international community and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to take urgent action to protect civilian aviation facilities.

The latest strikes came amid a series of missile attacks targeting Aden International Airport and its surroundings throughout October. On October 16, Aden Security Department reported that two missiles had landed within the airport perimeter while a Yemenia Airways aircraft was preparing to depart for Cairo. On October 21, the Houthis targeted the airport's vicinity in an attack they claimed was directed at the adjacent Badr Camp.

The escalation has also raised concerns among humanitarian organizations. In a statement issued on October 26, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said a missile strike near Aden International Airport days earlier had forced one of its aircraft, preparing to transport humanitarian workers, to remain on the ground. Staff members were instructed to seek shelter inside the airport rather than board the aircraft.

MSF warned that repeated strikes around Aden and Mocha were undermining humanitarian access and exposing medical personnel and patients to increasing risks. The organization emphasized the importance of Aden International Airport as a primary entry point for humanitarian workers, supplies and medical equipment serving South Yemen.