Syria: First international flights land after Assad fall

in 13 years

A Qatar Airways flight landed at Damascus international airport on Tuesday, marking the first time a commercial flight has landed in the Syrian capital since the fall of former President Bashar Assad a month earlier.

It was also the first time a Qatari commercial craft has flown to Syria in 13 years. Most international carriers suspended service to Syria after Assad's brutal clampdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011 sparked the Syrian Civil War.

The flight landed shortly after the airport's first commercial take off took place, heading for the United Arab Emirates.

A spokesperson for Jordan's flagship carrier, Royal Jordanian, also confirmed that a flight would be leaving the capital Amman for Damascus later on Tuesday for a test flight.