Syrian Airlines, the national carrier of the Middle Eastern country of Syria, has reportedly completed the process of removing all images of former President Bashar al-Assad from its official website. The move comes after the overthrowing of the Assad regime in the country over the weekend of December 7 and 8, 2024, by militia forces linked to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamic movement.
Assad is reported to have fled the country on December 7, 2024, by private jet as HTS forces approached the capital city of Damascus having already seized control of Syria’s secondary cities of Homs and Aleppo in recent days. Assad arrived in Moscow with his wife and children, along with several of his former officials where they have been granted political asylum by President Putin.
Syrian Airlines’ website homepage previously displayed an image of Assad disembarking from one of its aircraft. However, this imagery has been removed with the homepage now displaying images of flight crews and an Airbus A340 aircraft departing, wearing the carrier’s blue and white livery albeit still displaying the former Assad-era version of the national flag. This has since been replaced by the ‘Independence Flag’ which features three red rather than two green stars in its center.
According to bneIntellinews, the carrier is yet to issue any official statement regarding the suspension of flight operations which was implemented on December 8, 2024, when Syrian airspace was closed to all traffic following Assad’s escape to Russia. However, according to the Russian news agency, a company representative has said that the airline could potentially recommence services, including international flights to several cities which could include Moscow, from December 18, 2024.
Meanwhile, Aleppo International Airport (ALP) will remain closed until the evening of December 17, 2024, according to Syrian aviation authorities, as the country’s new leadership works to restore normal air operations to and from the country.
Syrian Airlines, more commonly known as Syrianair, has been operating under US sanctions since the early 1980s which has led to a huge reduction in its services and route network due to its inability to procure new aircraft or spare parts for its existing fleet. According to ch-aviation, the carrier has eight Airbus A320s, two A340-300s, two Tupolev Tu-134Bs, and two Ilyushin Il-76 cargo planes on its books. However, six of the A320s and both A340s are shown as parked due to the lack of spare parts to keep them airworthy.
Before the overthrowing of the Assad regime, the carrier operated four routes to five destinations across three countries. Syria’s only other mainline carrier, Cham Wings Airlines operates a fleet of five A320s serving two routes to three destinations.
However, both Cham Wings Airlines and Syrianair have been subject to international sanctions in recent years which has impacted their operations, particularly concerning flights to destinations across Europe.