Syrian Minister of Transport Ali Hamoud said on Monday that the Aleppo International Airport in the north of the country had been reopened, with the first flight from Damascus scheduled for Wednesday.
“Minister of Transport Ali Hamoud announced the reopening of Aleppo International Airport, the first flight from Damascus is scheduled for Wednesday”, – the ministry said on Facebook.
According to the Ministry, in the coming days it is planned to launch regular flights to Damascus and Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
The air harbor stopped receiving regular passenger flights in 2013 due to the hostilities in its immediate vicinity. The distance between Aleppo and Damascus is about 370 kilometres, and before the Syrian crisis, planes travelled that distance in about 50 minutes.
The airport will be opened thanks to the Syrian army’s operation: on Sunday, it took full control of all the localities around Aleppo for the first time since 2012, thus securing it from the regular artillery fire of militants.
Earlier Monday, the General Staff of the Syrian Armed Forces announced the liberation of a number of localities in Aleppo province and promised to continue the army’s offensive until the terrorists have completely withdrawn from Syria.
According to Syrian State TV channel Ikhbariya, the army liberated 23 villages in Aleppo province on Sunday amid retreat of militants. Among the key liberated villages are Anadan and Biyanun, located north of Aleppo on Route 214, leading to the Turkish city of Gaziantep.
Aleppo was liberated from militancy in 2016, but terrorists in the suburbs have regularly shelled residential areas of Aleppo in recent years, causing civilian casualties and significant property damage.