In nearly 14 years, Royal Jordanian plane lands at Damascus airport

AMMAN/DAMASCUS — A Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) plane landed in Damascus International Airport on Tuesday after nearly 14 years since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011.

The RJ plane carried a delegation of technicians from the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) to evaluate the airport's technical and logistical conditions in preparation for the possible resumption of Jordanian flights to Syria's capital, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Chairman of CARC Haitham Misto said that the flight was part of an effort to assess the feasibility of reopening the Amman-Damascus route, describing the mission as both a technical assessment and a gesture of support for the reactivation of Syrian air traffic.

Misto, who was aboard the flight with a team of CARC technical experts and representatives from RJ, also said that the visit aimed to evaluate the airport’s infrastructure and operational readiness, adding that the delegation is expected to complete its assessment shortly.

Misto also noted that the team would remain in Damascus temporarily to ensure that the airport meets international safety and security standards and to determine its preparedness for receiving international flights.

International flights resumed at Syria's main airport in Damascus on Tuesday for the first time since rebels toppled president Bashar Al Assad last month.

There was an air of excitement at the terminal, AFP 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 (10:00 GMT).

Some of the passengers knelt down to kiss the ground.

"I'm waiting for my brother, who I haven't seen in 17 years. He couldn't return... because of the regime," Reem Taghleb, 37, told AFP.

"He took the first opportunity to return to Syria on the first Qatari plane," she added, with emotion in her voice.

"We're so happy for his return, and for our country's freedom."

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, AFP correspondents said.

The three-star flag, long associated with opposition to Assad and which the new authorities have adopted, was painted on the plane.

"Today marks a new beginning," Damascus airport director Anis Fallouh told AFP.

On Tuesday, Qatar Airways resumed flights to Damascus after a nearly 13-year hiatus, with three weekly flights scheduled. 

Fallouh confirmed that "the first incoming flight is a Qatar Airways plane".

International aid planes and foreign diplomatic delegations had already been landing in Syria, and domestic flights had also resumed.

State news agency SANA reported that "the first Syrian plane after liberation" took off for Sharjah with "145 Syrian passengers onboard".

Ashhad Al Salibi, who heads the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport, told reporters that a Sham Wings flight was due to fly to Arbil in Iraq later in the day.