Airlines of UAE, Oman, Bahrain Preparing to Resume Flights to Damascus

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) - The airlines of the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain are preparing to resume direct air traffic with the Syrian capital of Damascus, Shafa al-Nouri, director general of Syrian Air, which manages Damascus International Airport, said Saturday.

"A delegation of Oman Air visited Damascus International Airport on Thursday and inspected its technical condition as a preparation for the resumption of flights to the Syrian capital," al-Nouri told the SANA news agency.

Bahraini airline Gulf Air and the UAE-based Etihad applied to the Syrian side with a similar proposal, she noted.

Al-Nouri stressed that these checks would be held in the framework of preparations for the resumption of air traffic with Damascus.

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At the moment, flights to the United Arab Emirates from Damascus are operated by Syrian Air and private Syrian airline Cham Wings. Syrian Air has also launched flights to Bahrain. Oman can only be reached from Damascus with a transfer in the United Arab Emirates.

In December, the United Arab Emirates reopened an embassy in Damascus after a six-year hiatus. Bahrain and Kuwait are expected to reopen their embassies in Syria soon, too.