DAMASCUS: International flights resumed at Syria's main airport in Damascus on Tuesday for the first time since forces toppled president Bashar al-Assad last month. There was an air of excitement at the terminal, journalists saw, with arriving passengers chanting and cheering, some draped in the country's three-star independence flag.
Syrians carrying colourful balloons and flowers greeted passengers who arrived on the first Qatari commercial flight in nearly 13 years, which landed at around 1:00 pm. Some of the passengers knelt down to kiss the ground.
A Syrian Airlines plane bound for Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates took off at around 11:45 am, marking the first international commercial flight from the airport since December 8. On Tuesday, Qatar Airways resumed flights to Damascus after a nearly 13-year hiatus, with three weekly flights scheduled. International aid planes and foreign diplomatic delegations had already been landing in Syria, and domestic flights had also resumed. — AFP
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