Saudi aviation delegation in Damascus to resume flights with Syria
Visit aims to prepare for reactivating Saudi airline routes to Syrian capital
DAMASCUS
A delegation from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation arrived in Damascus on Thursday to conduct a routine inspection before the resumption of flights to Syria.
Ala’a Sallal of the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the Saudi team’s arrival at Damascus International Airport.
Sallal said the visit involves a “routine tour as an internationally recognized procedure” to prepare for reactivating Saudi airline routes to the Syrian capital, the state news agency SANA reported.
Most airlines halted flights to and from Damascus in 2012 amid the Syrian regime’s crackdown on pro-reform protests that erupted in 2011.
Several airlines resumed operations at Damascus International Airport on Jan. 7 after the Syrian aviation authority announced it would begin handling international flights again, a move signaling the gradual reopening of Syria’s airspace.
Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.
Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period on Jan. 29.
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