The first flight since the ouster of Syria's Bashar Assad regime took off from Damascus to Aleppo in the country's north as the airport in the capital city resumed operations on Wednesday.

At least 43 people including journalists were on board the Syrian Air Airbus plane.

Assad fled Syria as a lightning anti-regime offensive launched on Nov. 27 wrested from his control city after city.

His army and security forces abandoned Damascus airport on Dec. 8 and until Wednesday no flights had taken off or landed.

Earlier this week, airport staff were painting on planes the three-star independence flag that became a symbol of the 2011 uprising and which the country's new government have adopted.

In the terminal, the new flag also replaced the one linked to Assad's era.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.