Turkey sends team to Syria to renovate Damascus Airport

A team of 25 experts from Turkey has started work to help renovate Damascus International Airport in Syria, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Sunday.

“Our team, consisting of personnel from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority, has been deployed to restore Damascus Airport, which was severely damaged and became inoperable during the 13-year-long Syrian civil war,” Uraloglu said in a written statement.

Uraloglu added that the team crossed into Syria via the Cilvegozu Border Gate in Turkey’s southern Hatay province on 7 February.

The Turkish minister elaborated that the technical team, consisting of experts in a variety of fields, had transported essential supplies to aid in the rebuilding of the airport. 

“To ensure safe flight operations at the airport and within Syrian airspace, we have dispatched 113 vehicles, devices, and systems via six trucks. Our team is not only installing the necessary equipment but will also complete the training of the airport’s personnel,” he said.

Several air navigation aid systems that were either damaged during the war or had been out of service for years have been repaired. Additionally, two new radio receiver and transmitter systems have been installed in the control tower, according to Uraloglu.

To strengthen airport security, Turkey has supplied 10 X-ray machines, four explosive trace detectors, 10 walk-through metal detectors, and eight handheld detectors, he added.

“Our teams, working in coordination with Syrian officials, have completed the installation of most of these devices. Efforts to further improve the security level of Damascus (International) Airport are ongoing, with necessary assessments and reports being prepared,” he noted.

Turkey, which severed diplomatic relations with Syria in 2012, has voiced support for a peaceful transition in the country after the collapse of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Ankara has pledged to back the new Syrian administration in rebuilding the country and establishing its state structures.

Tourism is thought to be a key factor in rebuilding Syria as the transitional government attempts to stabilise the country and move away from the conflict that blighted it for 13 years.