Kenyan Cargo Plane Linked to Previous Sanaa Flights Raises Questions After Houthi Attack on Aden Airport

Flight-tracking images identify a Safe Air Boeing 727 previously reported in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, while claims of an intercepted weapons shipment and planned evacuation of Houthi commanders remain unverified.

 A Kenyan-registered cargo aircraft previously reported operating flights to Houthi-controlled Sanaa has emerged at the center of questions surrounding Wednesday's Houthi missile attack on Aden International Airport, which disrupted civilian flights and prompted an evacuation warning.

The aircraft, a Boeing 727-2Q9(Adv)(F) registered 5Y-GMA and operated by Kenya-based Safe Air Company, was identified in flight-tracking images circulated by Yemeni researcher Dr. Abdulqader Al-Kharraz, who alleged that the aircraft had been diverted to Aden while carrying a shipment intended for the Houthis.

Al-Kharraz suggested that the incident may have disrupted a planned operation involving both the delivery of cargo and the evacuation of wounded senior Houthi figures on the aircraft's return journey.

However, neither the alleged interception nor the reported cargo and evacuation arrangements have been independently verified. No official confirmation has established that the aircraft was carrying weapons or that it was detained by Yemeni authorities.

Houthi Warning Followed by Attack on Aden Airport

The controversy emerged as Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree issued an urgent warning for personnel and civilians to evacuate Aden International Airport, alleging that a Saudi military cargo aircraft carrying weapons was present at the facility.

The Houthis subsequently attacked the airport area.

Reuters reported that air traffic was suspended following the attack, citing two Yemeni Transport Ministry officials. An aid source said some United Nations personnel had departed the airport shortly before the strike and that no casualties were reported in the incident.

Separately, Yemeni journalist Fathi bin Lazraq reported substantial damage to the airport runway, the suspension of four scheduled outbound flights and the diversion of incoming aircraft to Djibouti.

He also reported panic among passengers and schoolchildren in the nearby Khormaksar district, with some children reportedly injured in a stampede.

The full extent of the runway damage and the duration of the disruption have not been independently established.

Flight-Tracking Images Identify Safe Air Aircraft

Images attributed to Flightradar24 and shared in connection with Wednesday's developments identify a cargo aircraft registered 5Y-GMA, with Safe Air listed as its operator.

The aircraft is a Boeing 727-2Q9(Adv)(F), a freighter registered in Kenya.

One screenshot shows the aircraft at approximately 17,975 feet, on a heading of 219 degrees, while the wider map places the reported tracking activity around the Gulf of Aden.

Al-Kharraz said the aircraft disappeared from public flight-tracking displays shortly after being detected and subsequently landed at Aden International Airport.

Previous Flights to Houthi-Controlled Sanaa

The aircraft had already attracted scrutiny over earlier reported flights to Sanaa.

On September 23, Sheba Intelligence published a report documenting the movements of the same registered aircraft on September 22, citing flight-tracking observations and local reports of its arrival at Sanaa International Airport.

According to that report, the aircraft briefly appeared near Aden before disappearing from public tracking displays. Local observers subsequently reported its arrival in Sanaa at approximately 9:53 a.m. and departure at around 10:35 a.m., after which it reappeared near Aden while heading toward Djibouti.

Al-Kharraz also published a separate account of a large Safe Air cargo aircraft arriving in Sanaa on October 1, with a social media post dated October 2 referring to its movements and the absence of a scheduled aircraft associated with the UN envoy's office.

These observations establish a documented history of public reporting about the aircraft's movements toward Sanaa. They do not independently establish the nature of the cargo transported on those flights.

Who Owns the Aircraft?

The registration 5Y-GMA also provides a basis for examining the aircraft's commercial and ownership arrangements.

Aircraft databases identify its manufacturer's serial number as 21930 and list Safe Air as its operator.

However, a June 13, 2023 ruling by Kenya's High Court in a commercial dispute involving Flying Tiger Oversize Cargo Pty Limited and Safe Air Company Kenya Limited provides an important distinction between the aircraft's operator and its legal owner.

The court identified aircraft 5Y-GMA, serial number 21930, among aircraft that were not owned by Safe Air but by third parties and were leased to the Kenyan company.

The ruling does not establish the aircraft's current beneficial owner or whether its ownership arrangements have changed since 2023.

Safe Air describes itself as a Kenyan operator providing cargo, passenger and charter services across Africa and international markets, including the Middle East.

The African Airlines Association lists Mohamed Aden Noor as the company's chief executive officer.

Neither the available corporate information nor the court ruling establishes who chartered the aircraft for the reported Yemen flights.

Questions Over Humanitarian and UN-Related Flights

Al-Kharraz also raised questions about the movements of an aircraft displaying the identifier UNO136H, which he said turned away from Aden following the Houthi evacuation warning.

He contrasted the reported decision with earlier humanitarian and UN-related aircraft movements into Sanaa during periods of military escalation.

The flight-tracking image supplied with his account shows UNO136H near the Gulf of Aden, but it does not establish the reason for any change in route.

Nor does it demonstrate coordination between the flight's operators and the Houthis.

The presence of aircraft associated with humanitarian operations in Yemen also does not establish that Safe Air's Boeing 727 was operating under a UN contract.

Whether Safe Air held a relevant humanitarian or UN transport contract for the reported flights, and which organization or commercial entity commissioned the Boeing 727's movements, remains undetermined.

Was the Airport Attack Connected to the Cargo Flight?

The timing of the reported aircraft movements, the Houthi evacuation warning and the subsequent attack raises questions about whether the events were connected.

Al-Kharraz argued that the alleged interception disrupted both an incoming shipment and a planned evacuation of wounded Houthi commanders.

That account has not been corroborated by cargo manifests, airport records, official seizure announcements or independently verified passenger information.

The Houthis, meanwhile, publicly characterized their intended target as a Saudi military cargo aircraft. Their claim has not been independently substantiated.

The conflicting accounts leave unresolved whether the two sides were referring to the same aircraft or separate flights.

For now, the verified identity and documented operating history of 5Y-GMA provide a starting point for examining cargo movements into Houthi-controlled territory, but they do not establish illicit shipments or explain the motive for Wednesday's attack.

The central questions remain whether the aircraft landed in Aden on October 28, who commissioned its flight, what cargo it was carrying, and whether Yemeni authorities inspected or detained it.

Answers to those questions could clarify the relationship, if any, between the aircraft's movements and the escalation against Aden International Airport.