UN hails Egypt's decision regarding direct flights between Cairo, Sanaa‏‏

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has praised Egypt’s decision to allow direct flights between Cairo and Yemen’s Sanaa in a phone call with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry.

Direct flights between the capitals of the two countries had been halted in the past few years due to the conflict in Yemen.

The Egyptian flagship airline, EgyptAir, has not announced the resumption of direct flights between Cairo and Sanaa.

Guterres thanked President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for the decision, which comes within the framework of the UN-brokered truce in Yemen, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

For his part, Shoukry expressed hope that this step will help consolidate the truce in Yemen and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, the statement said.

A United Nations-brokered truce that took effect on 2 April – the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – has offered a glimmer of hope in the conflict, which has triggered what the UN is calling the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

“Egypt supports all efforts to achieve peace, security, and stability in Yemen and to preserve its unity,” the foreign ministry confirmed in a statement at the time.

The UN has expressed hopes that the ceasefire, which comes after a steep rise in Houthi attacks against vital facilities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the previous weeks, could serve as a first step to end the more than seven-year-old conflict between the warring parties.

Egypt has repeatedly called for a political solution in Yemen that would meet the aspirations of the Yemeni people in achieving stability and development and end the extended humanitarian crisis.

The country has also reiterated its support for the UN’s efforts in Yemen, calling for a solution to the crisis that is based on the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative, the outcome of the national dialogue, and the UN Security Council’s relevant resolutions.