Exclusive: Iranian Mahan Air Flight Lands at Hodeidah as Yemen Government Expands Military Options

   An Iranian Mahan Air aircraft landed at Hodeidah International Airport on Monday after the runway at Sana’a International Airport was struck to prevent the flight from reaching the Yemeni capital, according to footage reviewed by Sheba Intelligence.

Passengers and speakers heard in the footage identify the landing site as Hodeidah Airport, while the video shows the wide-body aircraft parked inside the airport’s operational area and surrounded by vehicles as passengers disembark.

The arrival came only days after open-source reports indicated that maintenance and rehabilitation work had been carried out at Hodeidah Airport, suggesting the facility had regained sufficient operational capacity to receive a large passenger aircraft.

The flight had initially been expected to land at Sana’a International Airport. Yemen’s internationally recognised government said its forces targeted the airport runway after diplomatic efforts failed to stop the Iranian aircraft, describing the flight as a breach of Yemeni sovereignty and warning that aircraft entering Houthi-controlled airspace without government authorisation would face a military response. 

The government’s action marked a significant escalation from diplomatic protest to direct enforcement. Its available options now include continued strikes on runways used by unauthorised Iranian flights, enforcing airspace restrictions through military interception, targeting logistical infrastructure supporting such flights, and pressing regional and international aviation authorities to deny clearances or services to aircraft operating outside the government’s approval.

However, the diversion to Hodeidah demonstrates the limits of restricting access to Sana’a alone. The Red Sea airport now appears capable of functioning as an alternative gateway into Houthi-controlled territory, giving the group and Iran greater flexibility to reroute flights when Sana’a becomes unavailable.

The latest arrival also comes amid unresolved concerns surrounding an earlier Mahan Air flight to Sana’a. Sheba Intelligence previously reported that the aircraft may have transferred Iranian technical personnel and sensitive military equipment to the Houthis, despite the flight being publicly presented as a medical and humanitarian mission. 

The use of Hodeidah Airport therefore raises broader questions over whether Iran and the Houthis are developing multiple aviation entry points to protect the movement of personnel, equipment and delegations from disruption.

For the Yemeni government, the central challenge is no longer limited to Sana’a Airport. Any attempt to stop unauthorised Iranian flights would now require a wider strategy covering Hodeidah and potentially other Houthi-controlled airfields, while avoiding damage to civilian aviation and further escalation with the Houthis and Iran.

The landing at Hodeidah indicates that the contest over Yemen’s airspace is entering a new phase in which airport rehabilitation, flight diversion and military enforcement are becoming interconnected elements of a broader struggle over sovereignty and Iranian access to Houthi-controlled areas.