# King Khalid International Airport

Flights Resume After 12 Years

After suspending reciprocal flights in 2012 following the uprisings that began in Syria in 2011, the first flight between Syria and Saudi Arabia has been conducted after 12 years. A Syrian Airlines plane landed this morning at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital. This flight is seen as a sign of the resumption of regular flights between Damascus and Riyadh. Riyadh Airports Company held a celebration attended by Dr. Ayman Susan, the Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and many Saudi officials in the field of air transportation. Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and the Syrian regime had been severed following the uprisings that began in Syria in 2011, and reciprocal flights were suspended in March 2012. However, following the decision of the Syrian regime to rejoin the Arab League on May 7, 2023, Saudi Arabia and Syria announced the restoration of diplomatic relations on May 9, 2023. The Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria appointed an ambassador to Saudi Arabia on December 6, 2023, while Riyadh appointed Faisal bin Saud al-Miqfil as its ambassador to Damascus on May 26.