Official says Yemeni pilgrims depart Sanaa on first direct flight to Saudi Arabia since 2016

A Yemeni official says a commercial flight carrying more than 270 Yemeni Muslim pilgrims has left the rebel-held capital of Sanaa to Saudi Arabia, the first such flight in about seven years. The flight Saturday by Yemen’s national carrier Yemenia — also known as Yemen Airways — took off from Sanaa’s international airport at 8 p.m. local time, heading to the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah. The official tells The Associated Press the flight was the first of five that would transfer this year’s Muslim pilgrims from Sanaa to Saudi Arabia for hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it.