The attack killed about 20 people, including the deputy minister of public works, and injured more than 100 people.

"Three explosions occurred... minutes after a plane carrying Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, members of his 'unity' cabinet and other senior government officials had landed," the report said.

"The airport was hit by three precision-guided, short-distance, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles carrying fragmentation warheads, likely an extended-range version of the Badr-1P missile, which has been part of the Huthi arsenal since 2018."

The missiles were an attempt to hit the plane carrying government officials, as well as the VIP lounge, where a press conference had been planned.

They were fired from "facilities were under the control of the Huthi forces at the time of the attacks," said a summary of the confidential investigative report obtained on Tuesday by AFP.

A last-minute decision to park the plane further away from the terminal building, as well as a delay in passengers disembarking, prevented further casualties, it said.

The southern port city of Aden is Yemen's de facto capital, where the internationally recognised government is based after being routed from Sanaa in the north by Huthi rebels.