Second missile strike in 10 days hits Aden airport near passenger flight

 Conceptual illustration — not a photograph or map of the airport or attack. UPDATE — Friday, Oct. 16: Two missiles landed inside the grounds of Aden International Airport, according to the [Aden Security Department](https://media.aden-gov.net/news/1167). Yemen’s information minister, Moammar al-Eryani, said Yemenia flight IY612 to Cairo was preparing for takeoff; the missiles fell about 500 metres from the aircraft and 100 metres from the runway’s midpoint. He said passengers and crew were safe in his [verified X post](https://x.com/ERYANIM/status/2111185253645582593). Police reported no casualties, according to the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/c39ea48032c0e8a76558b0296bb25244). Aden’s security department blamed the Houthis. An unnamed Houthi military official, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, said the group had targeted a Saudi-led forces command site and weapons depot in Badr camp next to the airport, AP reported. That account differs from the Yemeni authorities’ description of missiles landing inside the airport grounds. The reports reviewed do not establish the extent of damage or whether other flights were disrupted. AP described this as the second major attack on the airport in less than 10 days. The earlier strike, on Oct. 7, was also blamed on the Houthis by Yemen’s internationally recognized government; the group said then that it had targeted a nearby military camp, as [AP reported](https://apnews.com/article/f22f20dd78b03b741dfa1279881cedbb). A [Reuters report](https://www.internazionale.it/ultime-notizie-reuters/2026/10/16/missiles-hit-aden-airport-as-saudi-led-coalition-intercepts-missile-headed-for-yanbu) also confirmed that two projectiles struck the airport grounds on Friday. Aden airport is a key civilian route for Yemenis seeking medical care or travel abroad. The latest attack comes amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government. No independent damage assessment or airport-operations update had been published in the reports reviewed. ~worldnews ~yemen ~aviation