DAMASCUS, March 5 - Syrian aviation authorities said they have reopened a reactivated air corridor from Aleppo toward the Mediterranean Sea for use by foreign carriers as well as the national airline, part of a phased restoration of operations at Aleppo International Airport.
Omar Hosari, director of the Civil Aviation Authority, told Reuters the corridor is intended to provide a safe flight path for aircraft arriving at and departing from Aleppo and will be accessible to any airline that "meets international safety standards." He said the corridors are not reserved exclusively for Syrian Air and that other airlines can transit or operate through Syrian airspace under the usual regulatory procedures.
In a statement on Thursday, the authority said it had reopened air routes in the northern portion of Syrian airspace toward Turkey after conducting operational and technical assessments and reviewing regional developments that affect aviation. The authority described the reopening as part of careful operational checks rather than an unrestricted resumption.
The authority reported that the first Syrian Air flight departed Aleppo for Istanbul on Thursday and arrived safely, a development officials said marks the gradual resumption of services at Aleppo International Airport. A flight from Aleppo to the Saudi city of Jeddah was scheduled for Friday, and authorities are studying potential additions to the network, including Riyadh.
Hosari also said Royal Jordanian was expected to use the Mediterranean corridor on Friday for a flight between Amman and Aleppo as part of the phased return of air traffic.
These moves come as commercial air traffic remains largely absent across much of the Middle East. Major Gulf hubs, including Doha and Dubai - the world’s busiest airport for international passengers - were reported largely shut for a sixth straight day after the U.S.-Israeli launched air strikes on Iran, and Iran responded with retaliatory missile and drone strikes across the region.
One week into the regional conflict, Syria appears to be relatively sidelined, the authority and observers noted, citing the cessation of Iranian presence after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 and the evacuation of U.S. military bases from the country last February. The reopening of the Aleppo corridor and selected northern routes reflects a cautious, phased approach to restoring connectivity amid continuing regional uncertainty.