Could the return of Qatar Airways to Damascus tempt other international airlines to put the Syrian capital back on the route map?

The first Qatari commercial flight in nearly 13 years landed in Damascus on Tuesday, AFP correspondents said, as international traffic resumed at Syria's main airport nearly a month after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad.

Flights from Doha to Damascus International Airport will resume on Tuesday after a 13-year break, national airline Qatar Airways has said. The airline had ceased to service routes to Damascus and Aleppo in 2011 due to the country's civil war.

People from Doha of Qatar arrive at the Damascus International Airport, in Damascus, Syria, on Jan. 7, 2025. Damascus International Airport received its first civilian flight from Doha on Tuesday, marking the first arrival from Qatar in 13 years, according to airport officials. (Photo by Monsef Memari/Xinhua)

International flights resumed at Syria's main airport in Damascus on Tuesday for the first time since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad last month, AFP journalists said.

A Qatar Airways plane became the first to land at Damascus airport since the ousting of the government of former President Bashar al-Assad last month, as Syria’s interim leaders hope to reassert a semblance of normalcy in the country.

Crowds of people were gathered to greet those arriving at Damascus airport, with several Syrians returning for the first time in years.