Iranian Airliner Diverted to Hodeidah Airport After the Sana'a Airport Strike

Misbar's team at Al Araby TV tracked, through publicly available flight data, a direct passenger flight operated by Iran's Mahan Air bound for Yemen. The flight was operated by an Airbus A340-313 registered EP-MMC.

According to Flightradar24 data, flight IRM1199 (codeshare W51199) departed from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran.

The aircraft followed a southbound route across Iranian airspace before crossing the Gulf of Oman along Oman's coastline and entering Yemeni airspace.

At 10:20 a.m. Tehran time on Monday, July 13, flight tracking data showed the aircraft on its final approach to Sana'a International Airport.

According to the flight data, the aircraft had descended to an altitude of 754 meters (2,473 feet), with a ground speed of 283 kilometers per hour and a descent rate of 1.63 meters per second.

The flight also became the most-tracked flight on Flightradar24, attracting more than 11,000 live viewers.

Sana'a Airport Strike Forces Diversion

The aircraft's approach coincided with military escalation, as Houthi-affiliated media reported airstrikes targeting Sana'a International Airport.

Iran's Fars News Agency also reported that the strikes occurred while the aircraft was approaching the airport, preventing it from landing.

Flight tracking data show that the aircraft subsequently altered course, turning west over Al Hodeidah Governorate before landing safely at Hodeidah International Airport after it was unable to land in Sana'a.

Similar Flight Earlier This Month

The flight came roughly 10 days after another Mahan Air aircraft, registered EP-MJF, operated a similar Tehran–Sana'a service on July 2 and 3.

That flight also coincided with heightened military tensions. At the time, the Houthi movement claimed its air defenses had confronted warplanes that it said attempted to prevent the civilian aircraft from landing at Sana'a Airport, adding that the flight was carrying patients and stranded civilians.

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