Türkiye says it plans to restart flights to Syria “in the coming days” after thirteen years of hiatus

MADRID Jan. 9 () –

The Government of Turkey stated this Thursday that it plans to restart direct flights to Damascus “in the coming days”, after a break of more than thirteen years following the outbreak of war in the country in 2011 due to the repression of protests. pro-democratic movements within the framework of the ‘Arab Spring’.

The Turkish Minister of Transport, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, has stated in statements given to the NTV television channel that the authorities “plan a flight from Turkey in the coming days” and has detailed that they are in the process of “installing some radar systems.”

In addition, he revealed that Ankara plans to restart regular flights between Istanbul and Damascus “in three or four months”, within the framework of strengthening its relations with the authorities established after the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime a month ago after the offensive by jihadists and rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS).

Damascus International Airport suspended operations on December 8, 2024 after the fall of the regime, although internal flights resumed ten days later with a flight between the capital and Aleppo. In addition, international flights were reactivated on January 7 with a departure to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and an arrival from Qatar.