Syria seeks to restore normalcy by reopening airport, rebuilding power grid

DAMASCUS - A series of moves took place across Syria on Tuesday, as the new authorities seek to restore normalcy and tackle longstanding infrastructure challenges after the previous government's downfall in December 2024.

Damascus International Airport resumed international flights to and from Gulf nations, launching a morning departure to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and welcoming the first civilian flight from Qatar's Doha in 13 years.

It marks a step toward alleviating the burdens Syrians have faced traveling through alternate airports.

"We are now able to reactivate Damascus International Airport," said Ashhad Slaibi, head of Syria's civil aviation authority. "This development will help our citizens avoid higher travel costs and, in the near future, we hope to restore service at Aleppo Airport as well."

In a separate announcement on Tuesday, the General Organization for Electricity Transmission and Distribution said two power-generating vessels from Turkiye and Qatar are en route to Syria, capable of producing a combined 800 megawatts. It did not say over what period.

Director-General Khaled Abu Dei said this capacity is roughly half of Syria's current total electricity output, predicting a potential 50-percent boost in supply once the lines are set up to distribute the power.

Noting the extensive damage to power stations, substations, and transmission lines across Syria, Abu Dei said the new administration is working swiftly to rebuild and adapt the grid.

Meanwhile, Oil and Mineral Resources Minister in the Syrian interim government Ghaiath Diab said Tuesday that engineers are using the downtime of Syria's largest oil refinery the Baniyas Refinery, caused by a crude oil shortage since December 2024 after the fall of the previous Syrian government, to perform maintenance on equipment. Diab expected crude shipments to arrive soon, at which point the facility can restart production and help meet the nation's fuel needs.

In a statement to the local press on Tuesday, Syrian Arab Red Crescent chief Hazem Baqleh warned of severe medicine shortages and stressed the urgency of restoring hospital services, many of which were damaged during the conflict.

On the security front, an unnamed Syrian official was cited by the local Al-Watan Online newspaper as stating that security authorities on Tuesday launched a sweeping operation in Zabadani, west of Damascus, targeting leftover weapons depots and arresting "remnants" of the previous government's militias who refused to surrender arms or comply with reconciliation measures.

The operation followed a three-day security sweep launched by the military in the central Syrian province of Homs.