Commercial air communication between Turkey and Syria resumed on Thursday after a 13-year break when a Turkish Airlines flight took off from Istanbul to Damascus.
Turkish media showed footage of Syrian families, wrapped in the national flag, singing pro-opposition songs and celebrating as they prepared to board flight TK0846 to Damascus.
Passengers continued the celebration on the plane, singing the anthem of the uprising. “I miss Syria and I’m glad to be flying back,” said one passenger. Another passenger expressed hope as they prepared to visit their home for the first time since fleeing Syria.
Earlier this month, the first international commercial flight landed in Damascus after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight. Turkey, a key ally of the new Syrian authorities, has expressed its intention to invest in the country’s economy and assist its energy sector.
Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi announced earlier this month that the airline would fly three times a week between Istanbul and Damascus. This move follows a visit to Ankara by Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shurbaji, who met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other officials. As is known, since January 20, the Turkish consulate general in the Syrian city of Aleppo has resumed operations.
