Syria’s airport to operate under special permits

The international airport in Syria's capital Damascus will continue accepting and dispatching flights only with special permits until the evening of December 24. 

"All flights to and from Damascus International Airport are canceled, except those authorised by the civil aviation authority," a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the airport's air traffic controllers for all potential passengers, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

The restrictions are set to remain in place until December 24, with plans to lift them at 20:00 (GMT+3). It was previously planned that full operations at Damascus International Airport would resume on December 18.

Currently, Syria’s airspace remains open for transit flights that do not land in the country. For instance, on December 14, Lebanese national carrier Middle East Airlines began using air corridors over Syria for flights heading to Iraq and the Persian Gulf countries. Syria's airports have been closed since December 8.

On November 27, armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against Syrian army positions in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces. By the evening of December 7, they had captured several major cities (Aleppo, Hama, Daraa, and Homs), and on December 8, they entered Damascus, with Syrian government forces withdrawing from the city.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Bashar al-Assad stepped down as president of Syria and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful handover of power. According to Russian state media, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow as opposition forces took control of Syria's capital, and was granted asylum by Russia on humanitarian grounds. The decision to grant asylum to Assad and his family was made personally by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

By Naila Huseynova