Syria to resume international flights from Damascus airport within days

No flights had taken off or landed since pro-Assad forces abandoned the airport in the Syrian capital on December 8 after the opposition fighters marched on the city following a lightning offensive that began on November 27.

“We announce we will start receiving international flights to and from Damascus International Airport” from Tuesday, state news agency SANA said on Saturday, quoting Ashhad al-Salibi, who heads the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport.

“We reassure Arab and international airlines that we have begun the phase of rehabilitating the Aleppo and Damascus airports with our partners’ help, so that they can welcome flights from all over the world,” he said.

The announcement has a “significant political and economic implication” for the war-torn nation. The new administration has been in touch with key regional players on the need to help them rehabilitate their airport in Damascus to be in line with international safety standards.

International aid planes and foreign diplomatic delegations have already been landing in Syria. Domestic flights resumed on December 18, when a flight from Damascus left for Aleppo, according to the AFP news agency.

Syrian Airlines will resume flights from Damascus to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, starting on Tuesday, an employee told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

On Thursday, Qatar Airways announced it would resume flights to the Syrian capital after nearly 13 years, starting with three weekly flights from Tuesday.