DEIR EZZOR: Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways launched regular direct flights to Syria’s Deir Ezzor on Saturday, marking the first service by a foreign commercial carrier to the eastern city since its airport reopened following a 14-year closure.
The inaugural flight from Kuwait City landed at Deir Ezzor International Airport on Saturday morning, three days after the facility officially resumed civilian operations, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported.
Omar Hosari, head of Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport, described the new route as an important step toward returning Deir Ezzor to the regional aviation network and reconnecting the eastern governorate with the wider Arab world.
He said restoring air links aims to support economic recovery by facilitating travel and encouraging investment and commercial activity in the strategically important province.
Saturday’s flight marks the latest stage in the revival of an airport that had been closed to scheduled passenger traffic for about 14 years as a result of Syria’s civil war.
Deir Ezzor International Airport formally reopened on Wednesday, following extensive repair work on its runway and other facilities. A Syrian Airlines flight from Damascus became the first domestic service to arrive at the airport, while the national carrier also operated an international flight from Kuwait.
The arrival of Jazeera Airways three days later expands that reopening to scheduled service by a foreign carrier and establishes a regular direct connection between Kuwait and eastern Syria.
Syrian aviation authorities had been preparing for the route for several weeks. A delegation from Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Jazeera Airways inspected the airport before its reopening and approved the resumption of operations, according to SANA.
The reopening is also part of a wider recovery in Syria’s regional aviation connections. Airlines including Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian and flydubai have restored services to Damascus, while Kuwait Airways resumed direct flights to the Syrian capital in July after a years-long suspension.
Syrian officials have framed Deir Ezzor’s return to civilian aviation as particularly significant for the recovery of the country’s east.
During Wednesday’s inauguration, President Ahmad Al-Sharaa said the airport’s transformation from a facility previously used to “bombard cities and towns” into a civilian gateway connecting the province domestically and internationally reflected the changes underway in the country.
