The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Syria’s flights | Syria’s airline operates flights to and from Al-Qamishli airport as maintenance of Damascus international airport continues

SOHR sources have reported that Syrian airlines will start operating flights from Beirut to Al-Qamishli airport and vice versa every Sunday, and from Al-Qamishli to Aleppo, and vice versa every Sunday, too.

Syrian airlines will secure the transportation of passengers from Aleppo to Damascus via buses free of charge.

This comes as maintenance work continues at Damascus international airport after being out of service due to Israeli strikes targeting the airport at dawn last Friday, June 10.

On June 11, Reliable sources informed SOHR that the maintenance workers were working by leaps and bounds from yesterday morning until now to repair and maintain the damage caused by the Israeli bombardment of Damascus International Airport at dawn on Friday, in an attempt to restore the airport to service as soon as possible.

According to SOHR sources in Damascus International Airport, the northern runway of the airport, the navigation lights, the communications tower, old lounges, and warehouses are under maintenance after being targeted and damaged by Israeli strikes.

It is worth noting that vast parts of the “old airport terminals” were destroyed, which were previously used for those who went out to perform pilgrimages in Saudi Arabia. These halls were then used to receive undercover figures from Iranian-backed military commanders and Lebanese Hezbollah.

There are also sections in the “old lounges” in which Iranian weapons are temporarily stored, before being transferred to Iranian headquarters in areas south of the capital Damascus.

In this context, a delegation of regime’s “Air forces” and air intelligence visited Damascus International Airport on Saturday morning and toured and inspected the damaged sites.

On June 10, Reliable sources told SOHR that the northern runway at Damascus international airport was put out of service, after having sustained damage due to the Israeli strikes which targeted three warehouses of Iranian-backed militias in the perimeter of the airport this dawn. Moreover, the control tower inside the airport sustained damage.

Accordingly, flights were suspended at Damascus international airport, where the Syrian airline informed passengers, whose flights were scheduled to take off from the airport today, that their flights would be delayed for 48 hours. Moreover, air traffic was transported from Damascus international airport to Aleppo international airport until the “Airport Management” accomplish maintenance of the northern runway in Damascus international airport.

It is worth noting that the northern runway was the only runway in service after the southern runway was put out of service in 2021 due to Israeli strikes which targeted shipments and warehouses of Iranian-backed militias in the perimeter of the airport. The southern runway was not maintained so far due to the considerable damage it sustained.

On the other hand, engineers in the airport had warned against potential damage to the northern runway, after depending on it completely, where they demanded a decrease of flights to Damascus, especially flights by military cargo Iranian planes which carried tons of weapons and ammunition.

On Friday, SOHR reported that flights from and to Damascus international airport were suspended, as the Syrian airline informed passengers whose flights were scheduled to be today that their flights would be delayed for 48 hours. This came after the Israeli attacks which targeted warehouses of Iranian-backed militias in the area of Damascus international airport this dawn.

SOHR activists also reported hearing loud explosions in the capital Damascus and Rif Dimashq at 04:00 am local time, which was caused by Israeli bombardment on warehouses of Iranian-backed militias in the surrounding areas of Damascus international airport.

According to SOHR sources, fires were seen in the three sites which were attacked. Also, many ambulances were seen rushing on the road to Damascus international airport, amid confirmed reports of the injury of several Iranian-backed militiamen.

It is worth noting that was the 15 Israeli attack in Syrian territory since early 2022.