International service to Damascus Airport set to resume on Tuesday

By Laith Al-jnaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Damascus International Airport is set to resume international flights on Tuesday, according to the head of the Syrian Civil Aviation and Air Transport Authority.

In a statement to official Syrian news agency SANA, Ashad Al-Suleibi assured both regional and international airlines that efforts are underway to fully rehabilitate the airports in both Damascus and Aleppo – Syria’s two largest cities – with the assistance of international partners.

"We are pleased to announce the resumption of international flights to and from Damascus International Airport starting Jan. 7," he said.

The move comes after more than a decade of suspended air traffic. In 2012, most airlines halted flights to and from the capital Damascus due to the regime’s violent crackdown on protests that erupted in 2011, marking the beginning of the ongoing civil war.

Qatar Airways became the first international airline to announce the return of flights, scheduling three weekly services to Damascus starting Tuesday.

Bashar Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's decades-long regime.

The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.

A new administration led by Ahmed al-Sharaa has now taken charge.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi