UAE ban on Yemen cargo shipments lifted

Cargo shipments from Yemen are to be allowed into the UAE again after the federal General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) lifted a two month-long ban.

A moped is driven past the FedEx US parcel delivery firm's regional hub at Dubai airport on October 31, 2010, the day after a parcel bomb was intercepted in Dubai on a cargo plane originating from Yemen. Yemeni security forces were searching for suspects who posted parcel bombs on two US-bound freighter flights after arresting a woman over an alleged Al-Qaeda plot that sparked a global air cargo alert.  AFP PHOTO/KARIM SAHIB
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The UAE has begun accepting cargo shipments again from Yemen following a two month-long ban.

The federal General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said it has ended the ban on the state-run Emirates News Agency today. The ban was enacted following the discovery of a Yemeni plot to use explosives hidden in freight shipments to blow up cargo airliners bound for the US.

The GCAA lifted the ban in December, and said it has bolstered screening methods for cargo to and from Yemen, without disclosing further details.

In addition, the GCAA and Yemen also signed an agreement to increase flights between the two countries.

The memorandum of understanding between the two governments adds additional weekly flights by UAE carriers to the Yemeni capital as well as additional flights to other Yemeni airports, the state-run news agency said.