The airport in Damascus, Syria, will resume international flights from today for the first time since long-time President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown last month, Al Jazeera reported, quoted by Focus.
"We announce that we will start receiving international flights to and from Damascus International Airport from today", said Ashhad al-Salibi, head of the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport. The statement was carried by the state news agency SANA on Saturday.
"We assure Arab and international airlines that we have begun the phase of restoring the airports in Aleppo and Damascus with the help of our partners to welcome flights from all over the world," Salibi added.
He said the resumption of flights had symbolic significance. "They want to send a message that life in Syria is returning to normal and to allow hundreds of thousands of Syrians living abroad to return home. It is also a message to the international community that the new administration, despite the challenges in the country, is managing to ensure safety standards throughout Syria."
International humanitarian planes and foreign diplomatic delegations have already landed in Syria. Domestic flights resumed on December 18, when a plane took off from Damascus for Aleppo.
Syrian Airlines will resume flights from Damascus to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, an official told AFP.
Also on Thursday, Qatar Airways announced it would resume flights to the Syrian capital for the first time in almost 13 years. The company plans three weekly flights, also starting on Tuesday.