Syria and Russia Discuss Latakia Airport Handover Ahead of Flight Resumption
Syrian civil aviation officials and Russian representatives held talks Thursday to finalize the transfer and future operation of Latakia International Airport as Damascus prepares to restore civilian flights, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported.
The meeting focused on completing the remaining handover procedures and reviewing technical and operational arrangements needed for the airport’s transition to Syrian management.
A Syrian delegation led by Abdul Bari Al-Saj, deputy head of the Civil Aviation and Air Transport Authority, inspected the airport’s facilities during the visit. Officials assessed infrastructure, equipment and operational systems while identifying technical requirements needed to prepare the airport for civilian operations.
The discussions form part of a wider government effort to rehabilitate Latakia International Airport and restore its operational capacity before commercial flights resume.
On Aug. 9, Syria’s Civil Aviation and Air Transport Authority announced that it had taken over management of the airport after Damascus and Moscow signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the reorganization of Russia’s presence along Syria’s Mediterranean coast.
The agreement followed 18 months of negotiations, according to Syria’s Foreign Ministry. Under the arrangement, Syria will assume control of civilian facilities, including Hmeimim Airport and the fourth commercial berth at the Port of Tartus, while Russia’s military presence along the coast will be reorganized.
Latakia airport had remained largely under Russian military control since 2015 and operated as Hmeimim Air Base under an agreement with the former Syrian government that granted Moscow extensive and indefinite access to the facility.
Russia provided military and political backing to former President Bashar al-Assad throughout Syria’s civil war. The Assad government collapsed on Dec. 8, 2024, after opposition forces entered Damascus, ending more than five decades of Assad family rule.
The latest airport handover marks another step in Syria’s efforts to restore state control over civilian infrastructure and revive international air connectivity.
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