- Yemen’s government said two ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones targeted Aden International Airport on October seventh.
- Authorities diverted Yemenia Airways Flight six hundred three to Jeddah and evacuated the terminal; no casualties were immediately reported.
- The Houthis said they targeted military supplies near the airport, while claims of other strikes and damage remained unverified.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government said a Houthi strike hit Aden International Airport before dawn on October 7, 2026, forcing the diversion of a Cairo passenger flight minutes before its scheduled arrival. Officials said two ballistic missiles and several explosive-laden drones targeted the runway and passenger terminal.
One missile landed close to the runway. The arriving aircraft never touched down.
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Authorities diverted Yemenia Airways Flight 603 to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after canceling its landing. Flight-tracking information placed its expected or recorded arrival in Aden at about 3:30 a.m.
The airport cleared its terminal and moved aircraft away from the threatened area. The episode disrupted civilian air operations as the parties offered sharply different accounts of what the strike targeted.
The approaching flight was diverted as staff cleared the terminal
Airport authorities evacuated passengers and employees while drones continued flying over Aden, according to accounts of the evacuation. Two civilian aircraft on the tarmac, operated by the diverted flight’s carrier and Aden Airways, were moved out of danger.
No casualties were immediately reported. Residents said they heard several loud explosions early Wednesday, while the extent of property damage had not been independently verified.
The Yemeni Ministry of Transport said the strike put passengers, airport workers and flight crews at direct risk. It described the attack as a “dangerous escalation” and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization and other international bodies to condemn attacks that threaten civilian aviation.
The ministry said the strike “could easily have turned a civilian flight into a horrific humanitarian disaster, claiming the lives of dozens of innocent people in an instant.” It also said the airport should remain “a safe space for passengers and workers, not an arena of fear and threat.”
Aden security authorities announced tighter security around the airport. Police called the strike a direct danger to civilians and aviation staff, saying: “The targeting of this vital civilian facility represents a direct threat to the safety of civilians, passengers, employees and flight crews.”
The runway and terminal were central to the government’s account. The Houthis disputed that they were the intended targets.
The Houthis said a nearby camp, not the airport, was their target
Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, said Houthi forces were targeting Saudi military supplies at Badr Camp, near the airport. He said the group was not intentionally attacking a civilian airport.
Saree warned against using Aden’s civilian airport for military purposes. He also claimed Saudi officers were killed or wounded, a claim that had not been independently verified.
The government’s account said the runway and passenger terminal were targeted. The competing descriptions leave a clear disagreement over whether the strike was aimed at military supplies or civilian aviation facilities.
The civilian aircraft had been moved before any reported casualties. The terminal evacuation and diverted arrival kept passengers away from the area where the missile landed.
The exchange widened beyond Aden to sites in Saudi Arabia and Yemen
Saree separately claimed Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Abha International Airport and an air base in Khamis Mushait. He said the group used missiles and drones in those attacks.
Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the alleged strikes on the two airports. The Houthi claims about deaths or injuries among Saudi officers and damage at military sites also remained unverified.
Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said coalition forces intercepted and destroyed a Houthi missile launched toward an area north of Riyadh. He said forces traced the launch platform to Sanaa, which is under Houthi control.
Al-Maliki also said coalition forces destroyed a missile-launch platform in Sanaa and a missile-storage facility in Saada. His statement described separate coalition actions alongside the reported interception north of the Saudi capital.
The claims and responses extended the confrontation beyond the airport. They came as fighting intensified between Houthi forces and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
Aden’s airport serves government-held areas as fighting intensifies
Aden is the temporary seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the principal international gateway for areas outside Houthi control. The airport’s role makes disruption there consequential for civilian travel into and out of government-held territory.
The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 and have held the capital and large parts of northern and western Yemen. Aden has served as the government’s temporary seat amid that division.
The latest fighting has intensified across several fronts, including near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and along the Saudi-Yemeni border. The airport strike came during that broader escalation, with passenger aircraft and airport staff caught close to the immediate threat.
The Transport Ministry issued its statement on October 7, 2026, and called on international aviation bodies to take a position against attacks that endanger civilian flights and airport workers.
