Damascus Airport resumes flights following al-Assad's fall

Shafaq News/ Flights have resumed at Damascus International Airport after its rehabilitation following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Syria's state-run news agency, SANA, confirmed the departure of the first Syrian plane from the airport “post-liberation” but did not provide further details.

The inaugural civilian flight, described as a trial run, took off from Damascus International Airport on December 18, heading to Aleppo.

For the first time, the plane carried the emblem of the new Syrian flag.

Notably, Syria's General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport announced on Saturday that international flights to and from Damascus International Airport will resume on January 7.

"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, to make them capable of receiving flights from all over the world," Ashhad al-Salibi, the head of the authority, told the state news agency SANA.

Qatar Airways recently announced that it would restart flights between Doha and Damascus on January 7.

Damascus Airport suspended operations on December 23, citing military operations that preceded the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad. The airport was evacuated of all staff on December 8, with flights suspended except for those granted special permission by the civil aviation authority.