International flights resumed at Syria's main airport in Damascus on January 7, almost a month after Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad after a lightning offensive.
A Damascus airport source said the facility's authorities told airlines operating in Syria not to allow Israelis and Iranians to board flights to the country.
Just a few airlines have since resumed or announced they will resume flights to Syria. However, Two airlines appeared to be complying with the measures, which Syria's interim authorities have not announced publicly.
Airlines operating in Syria have been informed that they are prohibited from carrying Iranian or Israeli passengers to the country, which is now under the rule of a new administration following the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad, a source at Damascus International Airport told AFP.
International flights resumed at Damascus International Airport on January 7, after a month-long hiatus caused by an opposition armed group’s surprise attack that led to the ousting of the previous regime.
However, since then, only a few airlines have resumed operations or announced plans to restart flights to Syria.
A source at the airport, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that
"airlines currently operating flights to Damascus have been instructed not to carry passengers holding Israeli or Iranian citizenship to Syria."
Syria and Israel are in a state of war, and there have been no diplomatic relations between the two countries, making it impossible for Israeli citizens to enter Syria, while Iran had been a key ally of Assad’s regime, but ties between Damascus and Tehran have been nearly frozen since the former's ousting.
The development is likely based on security concerns harboured by the new Syrian interim government, as Iran was a key supporter of the deposed President Bashar Al-Assad and his regime while Israel continues to encroach on Syrian territory in the south-west of the country, making nationals from both Tehran and Tel Aviv significant potential security risks.
It appears that at least two airlines have adhered to the measures, although these have not been officially announced by the transitional authorities.
In a statement published on its website on Thursday, Turkish Airlines stated that
“In accordance with recent decisions taken by the Syrian Arab Republic authorities, certain rules have been established for passengers entering Syria.” The carrier revealed that “Citizens of all countries except Israel and Iran are permitted to enter the country.”
However, it added that Iranian nationals "may only enter the country with prior authorization," rather than a complete entry ban.
Turkish Airlines revealed earlier this week that it would launch flights to Damascus from 23 January, with a schedule of three flights per week. Turkish Airlines had decided to halt all flights to Syria following the outbreak of the civil war in 2011.
Turkish Airlines further clarified that Syrian citizens with proper documentation confirming their nationality would be allowed to enter Syria. Lebanese citizens are also eligible if one of their parents is a Syrian citizen, or if they hold a Syrian residence permit or visa.
A source at a travel agency in Damascus said,
"We received instructions from Qatar Airways that Iranian passengers are currently unable to book flights to Damascus, but we have not received any official instructions from the Ministry of Transport on this matter."
Qatar Airways was the first international airline to announce it would resume flights to Damascus after the change of Regime.
Announcing the resumption of operations, the first civilian flight of Syrian Air operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime, took off on Wednesday, December 18, from Damascus International Airport to Aleppo.
