Mahan Air Flight Turns Back as Yemen Rejects New Houthi-Iran Air Link

  A Mahan Air Airbus A340 returned to Tehran on Saturday after flying south toward Oman in what appeared to be a route toward Yemen, marking the latest development in the dispute over Iranian flights to Houthi-controlled areas.

Flight tracking data showed the aircraft, operating under callsign IRM1128 / W51128, departing Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport before reaching Omani airspace, where it reversed course and returned to Iran. The aircraft did not enter Yemeni airspace or approach any Yemeni airport.

The flight came after Sheba Intelligence obtained information indicating that senior Houthi officials had agreed to proceed with a new Iranian flight following the previous Mahan Air operation that landed at Hodeidah Airport after failing to use Sanaa Airport.

Iranian authorities and Mahan Air have not issued any statement explaining the aircraft’s return, and no official information has been released regarding the reason for the change of course.

The incident coincided with remarks by Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi during a meeting with Yemeni ambassadors, in which he reaffirmed that the government would not allow international flights to operate outside its sovereign authority. He said control over Yemen’s airspace and airports remains an exclusive responsibility of the internationally recognized government and rejected attempts to establish parallel aviation arrangements outside state institutions.

The renewed flight activity follows weeks of heightened tensions over Iranian aviation access to Yemen. The previous Mahan Air flight, which was unable to land at Sanaa Airport, ultimately arrived at Hodeidah Airport, further intensifying the dispute between the Yemeni government, the Houthis, and Iran over the management of the country’s airspace and civilian airports.

Saturday’s aborted flight comes as the Yemeni government continues diplomatic efforts to reinforce its position that all international flights to Yemen must operate under its authorization and in accordance with international civil aviation procedures.