Starting January 7th, international flights will resume at Damascus International Airport, announced Ashad Al-Suleibi, head of Syria’s Civil Aviation and Air Transport Authority.
According to the Syrian media, Al-Suleibi stated that efforts are underway, with the help of international partners, to fully restore the airports in Damascus and Aleppo, the two largest cities in Syria.
“We are pleased to announce the resumption of international flights to and from Damascus International Airport starting January 7th,” emphasized Al-Suleibi.
This decision follows more than a decade of suspended air traffic in Damascus. Most airlines ceased flights to and from Damascus in 2012 due to the violent crackdown on protests that began in 2011, marking the start of the civil war.
Qatar Airways became the first international airline to announce the return of flights, scheduling three weekly flights to Damascus beginning Tuesday, January 7th.
Bashar al-Assad, who had been Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups captured the capital, Damascus, on December 8th last year, ending the Ba‘ath Party’s rule, which had been in power since 1963.
The shift followed a swift offensive by Hay‘at Tahrir al-Sham(HTS), which seized key cities in less than two weeks.
The new administration, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, has taken control of the country.
