The Syrian capital saw a return to the skies as international flights resumed on Tuesday at Damascus International Airport following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. For the first time in 13 years, Doha, the capital of Qatar, had an airplane arriving on a direct flight, with celebrations filling the atmosphere as passengers and airport staff exhibited a mix of joy and relief. The event marks a new era for the Syrian capital, as it opens its doors to the world once again under a new government led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
One of the passengers, Bashar al-Hussein, was proud to return to Syria. He shared his excitement after traveling from Dubai to be part of the historic flight. “This is the first time I came through this airport since 2005 and felt proud to be Syrian,” he said, underlining the departure from the surveillance-heavy atmosphere under Assad’s regime. In stark contrast to previous years, passengers now experience a sense of freedom at the airport, where staff are no longer accepting bribes, a practice common under the former government.
The reopening of the airport is a symbol of more than just resuming travel, but also a gradual transformation of Syrian society. Staff, who had returned to work after the closure of the airport, resumed their duties once again, even though some of them were not paid for their work. Though security forces loyal to the new government were seen around the airport, civil aviation staff seemed optimistic, hoping that Syria’s aviation industry could recover from years of sanctions.
SyrianAir and Cham Wings, two airlines operating in Syria, have resumed flights to destinations such as the UAE, Baghdad, Erbil, and Kuwait. Staff also expressed hopes for the eventual lifting of sanctions that have crippled the airline fleet, with plans for future routes to Europe. As Damascus reopens to the world, the airport stands as a symbol of the ongoing political and economic changes sweeping through Syria.
