REPORTING. In Syria, the reopening of Damascus international airport raises many hopes

Most airlines suspended flights to and from Damascus in 2012. Today, this highly anticipated resumption is generating both enthusiasm among employees and economic revival for the country.

After five decades of authoritarian rule under the Assad clan, the new authorities face many challenges including the resumption of international relations. Little by little, embassies are reopening: Turkey was the first, followed by Qatar. A Minister of Foreign Affairs was appointed at the end of December. And on Tuesday January 7, Damascus international airport comes back to life.

After a month of total closure for rehabilitation work, hundreds of enthusiastic employees are back, ready to welcome flights from Arab and soon Western countries, hopes engineer Soumaynala Ali:

“Before, we received planes from 40 Arab and foreign countries, as well as European countries. However, during the war, all these routes were suspended, except for a few Arab countries.”

Soumaynala Ali, Engineering

at franceinfo

“Today we hope that flights will resume and the number of destinations will increase from 40 to 80 pays”poursuit Soumaynala Ali.

The first plane to land at Damascus airport will come from the Qatari capital, Doha, while the Syrian airline's first flight will take off towards Dubai, United Arab Emirates. All the necessary technical and logistical procedures have been completed, according to Anis Fallouh, the airport director. “We have reinstated all operational programs at the airport, as well as the security program and emergency planshe explains. We have restored the situation to how it was before and we are currently in the process of gradually developing all our programs, step by step.”

The resumption of activities at Damascus airport also has economic benefits. “The return of commercial flights will revitalize many economic industries in the country, particularly the tourism sector, which was an important pillar for the Syrian economypredicts Mahmoud Al-Kan, professor of economics at the University of Aleppo. Before 2011, it represented an important source of income for the national economy.

Most airlines suspended flights to and from Damascus in 2012, after the Syrian regime suppressed popular protests demanding change during the Arab Spring.