Turkish Airlines' Damascus flights restart after 13-year hiatus
Baku, January 23, AZERTAC
Türkiye's flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) was due to restart its flights to the Syrian capital on Thursday, following a 13-year hiatus due to civil war in the country, according to Daily Sabah.
The first flight was expected to take off at 9 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) this morning.
The plane taking off from Istanbul Airport will land at Damascus International Airport. In addition to the passengers, Turkish Airlines executives will also be on the first flight, local media reports said.
Bilal Ekşi, the CEO of THY, announced earlier this month that there would be three flights a week starting on Jan. 23.
"We are returning to Damascus," Ekşi said in a post on the social media platform X.
Direct flights between the two cities will be organized from Istanbul Airport to Damascus International Airport at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Return flights will be made at 1 p.m. on the same days.
Many Syrians who were due to fly to their homeland were spotted at the airport carrying flags and celebrating with songs, a report by Demirören News Agency (DHA) said.
Türkiye has said it would help resume commercial flights to Damascus, noting that its airport lacked a radar system.
Qatar Airways was the first international carrier to announce that it would resume flights to Syria's capital, which began on Jan. 7.
Turkish Airlines suspended all flights to Syria following the outbreak of the civil war in 2011.
Türkiye was the main backer of opposition forces that ousted Bashar Assad last month and ended his family's decades-long rule.
Türkiye became the first country to announce the reopening of its embassy in Damascus after a 12-year closure.
It has urged for the lifting of international sanctions on Syria to support basic public services and facilitate reconstruction of the war-shattered country.
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