Could the return of Qatar Airways to Damascus tempt other international airlines to put the Syrian capital back on the route map?

The national airline of Qatar has announced that it will resume weekly flights to Syria 13 years after cancelling operations. Qatar Airways will offer three weekly flights between Qatar and Damascus, Syria, from Tuesday (7 January). In 2011, flights by the carrier to and from Damascus and Aleppo were cancelled amid Syria’s civil war.

The country’s new leaders are pushing to restore a sense of normalcy. But Syria remains under a host of international sanctions imposed during the Assad regime.

The first international commercial flight since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has landed at the Damascus airport. The Qatar Airways flight landed at Damascus International Airport on Tuesday,

Qatar Airways is to restart flights to Syria after an absence of more than a decade, which began in 2011 due to the breakout of a devastating civil war.

Qatar Airways announced on Thursday it will resume flights to the Syrian capital Damascus from next week. "Qatar Airways is pleased to announce the resumption of three weekly flights to Damascus, Syria, from 7 January 2025," the national flag carrier said in a statement.