The first flight in four years arrived at the rebuilt the Riyan airport on Wednesday, marking a turning point for a city once under the rule of Al Qaeda.
The airport closed in 2015 when Al Qaeda militants took advantage of the civil war and overran the city, burning government offices, looting banks and detaining local leaders.
But over the past three years, the UAE-trained fighters of the internationally recognised Yemeni government have pushed the militants out of the area and started rebuilding the shattered city.