Istanbul: The first flights of Turkish Airlines to Syria took off today, marking the end of a 13-year break. A plane carrying 349 passengers departed from Istanbul Airport, heading to Damascus International Airport.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, this flight, coded “TK 0846”, is the first between Istanbul and Damascus since April 1, 2012, when flights were suspended due to events in Syria. Turkish Airlines’ General Manager, Bilal Eksi, announced on the X platform that the airline will now operate three flights per week to Damascus, beginning today.

Information on the Turkish Airlines website indicates that flights to Damascus will be scheduled on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, departing from Istanbul Airport at 09:00 am local time. The journey is expected to take two hours. Return flights from Damascus to Istanbul are scheduled on the same days at 13:00 local time.

Turkish Airlines had initially halted its Damascus flights on April 1, 2012, due to the internal unrest in Syria at that time.