Damascus Airport to resume international flights starting next Tuesday

The head of the Syrian Civil Aviation and Air Transport Authority, Ashhad Al-Salibi, announced that Damascus International Airport will resume receiving international flights to and from the airport starting next Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

"We assure Arab and international airlines that we are in the process of fully rehabilitating Aleppo and Damascus airports with the help of our partners so that they can receive flights from all over the world," Al-Salibi said, according to Al-Watan. All flights at Damascus International Airport and Aleppo International Airport were halted on December 8, 2024, following the military operations that led to the fall of the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad.

On December 18, the first civilian aircraft took off on a domestic test flight since the airports stopped operating, from Damascus International Airport to land safely at Aleppo International Airport.

For his part, Samer Al-Khalidi (a displaced Syrian residing in one of the Gulf countries) expressed his great happiness at the announcement of the resumption of international flights to and from Damascus and Aleppo airports, saying: “This news was eagerly awaited by us, the Syrians residing abroad. The resumption of international airports in Syria greatly facilitates the journey back home for us and our families without the need to pass through the airports of neighboring countries, which increases the cost of travel and doubles the difficulty of the journey.”

He added: “Some of my friends who arrived in Syria after the fall of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime suffered additional burdens related to the long journey within neighboring countries to reach Syria, whether in terms of time or money. The existence of direct flights to Damascus or Aleppo represents a qualitative leap and a great comfort for us and our families, especially on occasions and holidays when we want to return to see our loved ones.”

Al-Khalidi pointed out that "this announcement gives us a sense of hope and confirms that Syria is gradually beginning to recover, and we hope that efforts will continue to develop airports and provide the best services to travelers."

In turn, Ammar al-Assad, a Syrian refugee residing in Turkey, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “Operating the civilian airports in Damascus means a lot to us travelers, and we hope that Aleppo International Airport will be operational soon. It makes the visit easier and faster, and relieves us of the financial burdens resulting from additional reservations and long land transfers, in addition to the logistical challenges that we were facing.”

On December 30, 2024, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the arrival of an aid plane at Damascus International Airport carrying humanitarian aid including ambulances, food supplies and medicines provided by the Qatar Development Fund, in addition to technical assistance to help restart Damascus International Airport, ensuring the flow of aid to Syria. In recent days, Damascus International Airport has received several planes carrying humanitarian aid provided by the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as part of air bridges announced by these countries with the aim of providing assistance to the Syrian people after the fall of the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad.

New Arab