In 1979, construction of Riyan Airport began with West German engineering consultation, financed by the Kuwait Fund. The total cost for the construction was 10,500 Yemeni rials. Construction of the new airport finished on May 1982. In 2001, the airport got renamed from "Riyan Airport" to "Mukalla Airport," but its old name remained in use in international civil aviation documents and navigational devices operating at the airport still broadcast its international definition of "Riyan Airport." Mukalla was later
liberated from Al Qaeda, but the airport remained closed until the Emirates Red Crescent funded the building of new terminals and renovated the old airport at a cost of AED 25 million. In January 2018, the Airport got renamed back to "Riyan International Airport."''' On 9 April 2021,
Yemenia, the Yemeni
flag carrier, restarted flights to Socotra and Aden. ==Airlines and destinations==