Field documentation shows a UN aircraft flying over the Yemeni capital as an untracked aircraft landed at Sana’a airport, raising questions about possible coordinated aerial concealment

  A UN aircraft flew over Sana’a at the same time an unidentified aircraft landed at the capital’s airport without appearing on a public flight-tracking platform, according to a monitoring report obtained by Sheba Intelligence.

The incident adds a new dimension to earlier concerns over flights into Houthi-controlled Sana’a. The issue is no longer limited to allegations that experts and sensitive equipment were transported aboard humanitarian flights. The new evidence raises the possibility that visible UN air traffic was used to provide cover for another aircraft whose movements were not publicly displayed.

The report was prepared by Dr Abdulqader Al-Kharraz and his team using time-stamped field videos cross-checked against ADS-B data displayed on Flightradar24.

Three Aircraft, Limited Tracking Data

The team documented three medium-sized aircraft arriving at Sana’a International Airport on August 24.

The first landed at 11:10 a.m. and departed at 12:36 p.m. without appearing on the public tracking platform.

A second aircraft, identified as 3B-NBZ, appeared only intermittently. Its inbound route to Sana’a was not displayed.

The third aircraft landed at 12:50 p.m. and departed at 1:58 p.m., with no identification or route data publicly visible.

Absence from a commercial tracking platform does not, by itself, prove that a transponder was switched off. Coverage gaps and data filtering can also affect visibility. However, the field footage confirms that more aircraft were using the airport than appeared on the platform.

The Aircraft That Did Not Land

The central finding concerns UN flight UNO136H, which flew from Jordan to Aden before departing for Jordan at 12:17 p.m.

Instead of following the direct maritime route over the Red Sea, the aircraft crossed inland through Lahj, Al-Dhalea, Ibb and Dhamar before flying over Sana’a.

At 12:50 p.m., while UNO136H was visible above the capital, field observers recorded another aircraft landing at Sana’a airport.

The observers initially assumed that the landing aircraft was the UN flight. Tracking data showed, however, that UNO136H had not landed and was continuing north, while the unidentified aircraft entered the airport without appearing on the platform.

The report concludes that the UN aircraft’s unusual route and the precise timing may indicate that it served as an aerial decoy for the unidentified flight.

The available evidence does not independently prove deliberate coordination. It does, however, require an explanation of why the UN aircraft flew over Sana’a and whether its operators knew about the other aircraft’s movement.

A Different Route Two Days Later

On August 26, the same UN aircraft was tracked returning from Aden to Jordan along the direct maritime route over the Red Sea, without entering Yemen’s inland airspace.

The contrast makes the August 24 route appear exceptional. It is not conclusive evidence of concealment, as flight paths can change for operational, security or weather-related reasons. Resolving the issue requires access to the approved flight plan and air-traffic control records.

A New Stage in an Existing Pattern

Sheba Intelligence previously reported, citing an informed source, that Iranian experts arrived in Sana’a aboard one of the flights carrying technical equipment designed to detect drones, trace their signals and locate their operators or ground-control stations.

The capabilities described by the source are consistent with radio-frequency detection and direction-finding technology (RF/DF), which can be integrated with radar, electro-optical surveillance and electronic-jamming systems. Sheba Intelligence could not identify the equipment or its manufacturer, or establish whether Iran had transferred a complete system or separate components.⁠

Al-Kharraz later said the Houthis had exploited some UN flights to transport foreign experts, communications equipment and drone-related systems. Sheba Intelligence was unable to verify the aircraft’s cargo or passenger identities independently. 

What distinguishes the August 24 incident is the apparent synchronisation: a declared UN aircraft flying over Sana’a as an unidentified aircraft landed below.

If confirmed, this would suggest that the opaque air corridor into Sana’a has developed beyond individual untracked flights into a more coordinated method in which visible humanitarian traffic may be used to conceal other aircraft movements.

The evidence does not reveal the identity, operator or cargo of the aircraft that landed. Nor does it prove that the UN knowingly participated in a concealment operation.

It nevertheless places the organisation under pressure to disclose the approved route of UNO136H, explain its flight over Sana’a and clarify whether it was aware of the other aircraft using the airport at the same time.