Syria to resume international flights at Damascus airport
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First commercial flights since overthrow of Assad regime to begin from Tuesday, aviation chief says. Syria’s main airport in Damascus is to resume international flights after commercial trips were halted following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.
“We announce we will start receiving international flights to and from Damascus International airport from [Tuesday],” the state news agency Sana reported, quoting Ashhad al-Salibi, the head of 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.”. International aid planes and foreign diplomatic delegations have already been landing in Syria. Domestic flights have also resumed.
On Thursday, Qatar Airways announced it would resume flights to the Syrian capital after nearly 13 years, starting with three weekly flights from Tuesday. A Qatari official told Agence-France Presse last month that Doha had offered the new Syrian authorities help in resuming operations at Damascus airport.
On 18 December, the first flight since Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad 10 days earlier took off from Damascus airport to Aleppo in the country’s north, AFP journalists reported. An Egyptian aid plane touched down at Damascus airport on Saturday carrying Cairo’s first humanitarian delivery since Assad was ousted.
