The first international commercial flight since the fall of longtime dictator Bashar Assad landed Tuesday as Syria's main airport in the capital, Damascus, resumed full operations.
The Qatari Airways plane landed at around 1 p.m. (10 a.m. GMT), marking the Gulf country's first commercial flight to Syria in nearly 13 years.
That was not long after the Damascus International Airport's first outbound flight took off and headed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Syrian Airlines flight bound for Sharjah took off at around 11:45 a.m. (8:45 a.m. GMT), marking the first international commercial flight since Dec. 8.
Syria's three-star independence flag, long associated with opposition to Assad and which the new authorities have adopted, was painted on the plane.
The state news agency SANA reported that "the first Syrian plane after liberation" took off, heading to Sharjah carrying "145 Syrian passengers onboard."
Last week, Qatar Airways announced it would operate three weekly flights to Damascus from Tuesday.
Jordanian state-run Petra news agency on Tuesday also reported that a Royal Jordanian Airlines plane had departed heading to Damascus on a test flight.
The flight is "a message of support and solidarity" that "aims to assess the technical condition of Damascus International Airport," Haitham Misto, the head of the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission, said.
Excitement was in the air at the Damascus airport, with passengers arriving from Qatar chanting and cheering, with some draped in Syria's three-star independence flag.
"Today marks a new beginning," Damascus International Airport Director Anis Fallouh told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"We started welcoming outbound and inbound international flights," Fallouh said.
Since the lightning offensive that unseated Assad a month ago, Arab and Western countries that had cut off relations with the regime have been reopening diplomatic relations with Syria's new de facto authorities, headed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The new leadership has been endeavoring to reestablish security in the war-torn country and wooing the outside world for support.
Its new foreign minister met with his Qatari counterpart and Qatar's prime minister in Doha on Sunday. He also made visits to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
International aid planes and foreign diplomatic delegations have already been landing in Syria, and domestic flights have also resumed.
"I was afraid that the airport would stay closed, my visa was about to expire, but now I am very happy," Amal Jeroudi, a 45-year-old Syrian, told AFP as she awaited her flight to Dubai where she was meeting her relatives.
She said airport employees during Assad's rule "were condescending, but today they are very nice and welcomed us with a smile."
The Damascus International Airport was looted on the night of Dec. 7-8 after the airport's guards fled as opposition forces captured the capital. Most of the technical and engineering equipment and supplies were stolen.
Assad fled to Moscow after his ouster and received asylum from ally Russia.
On Dec. 18, the airport was opened partially when a domestic flight took off for the northern city of Aleppo. Officials at the airport said at the time the reopening was partial because of the vandalism and thefts.
