Airport authority says flights will resume on January 7 as Qatar Airways set to start flights to Damascus after 13 years.
Syria’s Damascus airport will resume worldwide flights on Tuesday for the primary time since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown final month by armed opposition fighters.
No flights had taken off or landed since pro-Assad forces deserted the airport within the Syrian capital on December 8 after the opposition fighters marched on town following a lightning offensive that started on November 27.
“We announce we are going to begin receiving worldwide flights to and from Damascus Worldwide Airport” from Tuesday, state information company SANA stated on Saturday, quoting Ashhad al-Salibi, who heads the Common Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport.
“We reassure Arab and worldwide airways that we now have begun the section of rehabilitating the Aleppo and Damascus airports with our companions’ assist, in order that they’ll welcome flights from everywhere in the world,” he stated.
Al Jazeera’s Hashim Ahelbarra, reporting from Damascus, stated the announcement has a “vital political and financial implication” for the war-torn nation.
“The brand new administration has been in contact with key regional gamers, significantly Qatar, on the necessity to assist them rehabilitate their airport in Damascus to be in step with worldwide security requirements,” he stated.
“They need to ship a message that life is again to regular in Syria and to permit tons of of hundreds of Syrians who reside overseas to return again residence. And likewise, it’s a message to the worldwide group that the brand new administration, which is in management, and regardless of the scenario throughout the nation, they’re managing to make sure security requirements throughout Syria.”
Worldwide support planes and foreign diplomatic delegations have already been touchdown in Syria. Home flights resumed on December 18, when a flight from Damascus left for Aleppo, in accordance with the AFP information company.
Syrian Airways will resume flights from Damascus to Dubai, within the United Arab Emirates, beginning on Tuesday, an worker advised AFP, requesting anonymity as a result of they weren’t authorised to talk to the media.
On Thursday, Qatar Airways introduced it might resume flights to the Syrian capital after almost 13 years, beginning with three weekly flights from Tuesday.
