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Italy Announces First Evacuation Flight for Tourists Stranded on Yemen’s Socotra

The shutdown followed a surge in clashes pitting UAE‑backed southern separatists against Saudi‑backed government forces.

Overview

  • A Yemeni carrier is set to run a first flight to Jeddah as soon as tomorrow to begin moving people off the island, the Italian Foreign Ministry said.
  • Several hundred visitors remain stranded, with estimates ranging from roughly 400 to as many as 650, including about 80–86 Italians.
  • Socotra’s airspace has been shut since a late‑December emergency declaration and the only regular link, Air Arabia’s Abu Dhabi route, is suspended indefinitely.
  • Italy’s crisis unit is working with tour operators and the embassy in Riyadh to organize departures for nationals lodged across hotels and camps.
  • Travelers report dwindling medications and limited access to cash on the sparsely serviced archipelago, while mooted cargo‑ship transfers to Oman are considered impractical.