Syrians celebrated the resumption of international flights at Damascus airport on Tuesday. A new sign of openness since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
A Qatar Airways plane landed at Damascus airport, marking the resumption of international flights after 13 years of cessation. This restart comes after the uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the takeover of power by a coalition of radical Islamists on December 8.
In the arrivals hall, Syrians welcomed the passengers of the first plane with bouquets of flowers and flags in their hands. It has sometimes been more than a decade since they were able to reunite with their loved ones. A 37-year-old woman declared: “I’m waiting for my brother who I haven’t seen for 17 years, he couldn’t come […] because of the diet.”
In the departure hall, the atmosphere was also festive. Some passengers flashed the victory sign and reported a “totally different airport from the past.”
Today marks a new beginning
The first Syrian plane took off from the tarmac of Damascus airport with 145 passengers on board, reports the official Syrian agency Sana. Destination Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. “Today marks a new beginning,” said the airport director.
“Test flight”
The airport, which only served a handful of destinations before its closure, had been welcoming planes loaded with humanitarian aid since December. The latter arrived from several Arab countries including Saudi Arabia which established an airlift.
Jordan, for its part, announced that it was preparing to resume links with Damascus. It sent a “test flight” towards the Syrian capital.
Since taking power, the new Syrian authorities have increased their gestures of openness towards the international community.
afp/sl
News-Swiss
