Syria has begun work to rehabilitate Latakia International Airport so it can resume passenger flights, the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport said on September 27.
The airport on the Mediterranean coast is part of a wider plan to rebuild Syria’s airport network as carriers return to the country. flydubai resumed Aleppo flights in July after 14 years, Germany’s LEAV Aviation has opened a European route to Deir ez-Zor, and Damascus is betting on a travel show to relaunch its tourism industry.
Technical teams have started work on the airport’s buildings, facilities and equipment, marking the start of the implementation phase, authority chairman Omar al-Hosari told state news agency SANA.
The rehabilitation forms part of a plan to restore Syria’s airports, upgrade aviation infrastructure and reconnect different parts of the country to regional and international air networks, al-Hosari said.
No reopening date has been set. The authority will return the airport to service once safety, technical and operational standards are met, and will announce a date after the works are completed and the airport’s readiness verified.
The authority took over management of Latakia airport on August 9 as part of efforts to restore state management of Syria’s civil aviation facilities, and has since assessed its infrastructure, equipment and operational requirements.