Syrian Air conducts 1st Aleppo-Beirut flight since 2011

Beirut, Jan 16 (IANS) Syrian Air conducted its first flight in 10 years between the northern city of Aleppo and Lebanon's capital Beirut, resuming a round-trip route that had been suspended since the Syrian conflict began in 2011.In a report, Lebanon's MTV local TV channel said that the plane from the Aleppo International Airport landed at 2 a.m. in Beirut on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.The report added that it was an Airbus 320 and was carrying 26 passengers.Later in the day, the plane took off with 43 passengers aboard to Aleppo.The airlines was quoted as saying that it will conduct weekly flights, every Friday, between Aleppo and Beirut. Aleppo, Syria's largest city, had its airport closed for years because of the fighting.The decision to reopen the round-trip route was taken by the Syrian government last December, Arab News reported.Commercial flights between Beirut and Damascus have continued during the conflict, with Syrian Air currently conducting three flights a week on the route.
--IANS ksk/