After 12 years Saudi-Syria commercial flight started
Last Updated on July 12, 2024 8:25 am
After 12 years, commercial flights between Saudi Arabia and Syria have started. Air traffic between the two countries was suspended in 2012 following a strained diplomatic relationship. On Wednesday, a Syrian Airlines flight from Damascus landed in Riyadh with 170 passengers. Through this the route is activated.
The two countries have agreed to operate one round-trip flight between the two capitals every week, Ayman Susan, Syria’s ambassador to Riyadh, said.
The direct route could be extended to cover airports in Jeddah and Dammam based on demand, said Suleiman Khalil, an official at the Syrian Ministry of Transport.
Earlier, a direct Hajj flight from Syria to Saudi Arabia was launched after 12 years on May 28 this year. On that day, the first Hajj flight with 270 pilgrims took off from the international airport of Damascus, the capital of Syria, to the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Suleiman Khalil, an official of the Syrian Ministry of Transport, said that more flights will be coming and going in the coming days.
Since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2009, Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the government led by President Bashar al-Assad has turned hostile. As a result of this, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed, and direct flights were also stopped.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited Riyadh after 13 years to attend the Arab League conference in May 2023. He held several meetings with Saudi leaders during that visit. After his visit, Riyadh-Damascus agreed to restore diplomatic relations.
However, even after reaching a consensus, Riyadh has not sent any ambassador to Damascus. After that, Riyadh announced to send an ambassador to Damascus soon. Then Hajj flights started from Tuesday.
In this regard, Suleiman Khalil said, after being suspended in 2012, direct Hajj flights are starting again between the two countries from Tuesday. For now this flight will run only during Hajj. Discussions are ongoing between us and the Saudi officials on whether the Hajj can be continued even after it ends.