Dubai air carrier denies plans to resume Syria flights

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AA) - Emirati air carrier FlyDubai has denied media reports suggesting that it had resumed flights to Damascus after a seven-year hiatus.

"Media reports to this effect are inaccurate," the company said in a Wednesday statement.

Some Arab media outlets had reported earlier that FlyDubai had resumed flights -- in both directions -- to the Syrian capital.

The reports came after the UAE’s General Authority for Civilian Aviation had announced its intention to “evaluate the situation” regarding its ongoing suspension of flights to Syria.

In 2012, most Emirati air carriers, including Etihad Airways and Emirates Airlines, suspended all flights to and from Syria due to the raging conflict in that country.

Last month, the UAE and Bahrain -- both of which had supported Syria’s armed opposition -- announced plans to reopen their respective embassies in Damascus, both of which shut their doors in 2012.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity.