Early on Tuesday, a Syrian Airlines plane departed from Damascus to Jeddah, marking the first pilgrimage flight from Syria in 12 years, following Riyadh's announcement of the appointment of its ambassador in Damascus. The director of the media office at the Syrian Ministry of Transport, Suleiman Khalil, stated, "The flight carrying 270 passengers departed early on Tuesday after all flights between the two countries were suspended in 2012." He added that "the current decision to operate flights is only for the pilgrimage period, while the decision to resume regular Syrian Airlines flights to Saudi airports has not yet been made." He continued, "The authorities of both countries are working to restore the direct flight route between their airports."
Saudi Arabia severed its diplomatic relations with Syria and closed its embassies in 2012, a year after the Syrian crisis began. Following the devastating earthquake that struck Syria in February 2023, which resulted in nearly six thousand deaths, an exceptional air route was activated with the operation of aid flights without carrying passengers, according to the media office director of the Syrian Ministry of Transport.
For his part, the director of the Syrian Airlines, Hatem Kabbas, said, "We have taken all necessary measures at Damascus International Airport to accommodate the pilgrimage groups, and we have completed the schedule for departure flights," noting the "rehabilitation of a hall dedicated for receiving pilgrims." Riyadh announced on Sunday the appointment of Faisal bin Saud Al-Majfal as its ambassador in Damascus, making him the first ambassador of the Kingdom to Syria since 2012, a step that came after the two countries resumed their diplomatic relations last October.
