Syria reopened Deir Ezzor International Airport on Wednesday, restoring civilian air links to the country’s east after more than a decade of closure following the outbreak of war.
The airport had been closed to civilian traffic since 2012, when fighting intensified in Deir Ezzor during the civil war. Its reopening marks the latest step in efforts to restore infrastructure and connectivity in a region heavily affected by 14 years of conflict.
The airport underwent rehabilitation for several months, and its reopening marks the resumption of regular air services to the eastern Syrian city after more than a decade.
The airport received its first domestic flight from Damascus and its first scheduled international flight from Kuwait on the same day, both operated by Syrian Airlines. Jazeera Airways, a Kuwaiti company, is due to begin regular flights between Kuwait and Deir Ezzor on Saturday.
The inauguration was led by Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani. “The recovery of Syria cannot be complete without the recovery of its east,” he said. The region was largely disregarded by the regime of Bashar Al Assad and heavily affected by 14 years of war.
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara attended the opening ceremony by video. “Deir Ezzor airport has transformed from a site that once carried bombs dropped on homes and farms into a link connecting communities within Syria and connecting Syria with the outside world,” he said.
The airport was previously used during the war by the Syrian Army as a military base, used to attack cities in the eastern region. In 2012, heavy fighting took place nearby between rebel fighters who maintained control over most of the province and government forces, stationed in the airport and in western Deir Ezzor.
The city endured a three-year siege by ISIS, which controlled much of Deir Ezzor province from 2014. Syrian government forces retained control of parts of the city, including the airport, while ISIS controlled the surrounding territory.
The siege was broken in September 2017 as Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, advanced into the city, while the US-led coalition and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces were simultaneously fighting ISIS elsewhere in the province.
ISIS was pushed out of Deir Ezzor city by November 2017, but the group continues to carry out attacks in parts of Syria.
The reopening follows the resumption of flights in Damascus on December 18, 2024, 10 days after the fall of the regime, and in Aleppo on March 18, 2025, with its first flight a week later.
The reopening of Deir Ezzor airport is expected to improve links between eastern Syria and the rest of the country, as authorities seek to rebuild infrastructure damaged during the conflict.
