Shortly before the first domestic flight since Bashar al-Assad’s fall landed at Aleppo International Airport late Wednesday morning, the final preparations were still being made. Workers rushed to remove about a dozen empty ammunition boxes, gas masks and helmets from a grassy patch next to the runway.
When the Syrian Air flight from Damascus landed, more than an hour behind schedule, it was greeted by a large crowd of journalists and a phalanx of security personnel, including military police officers and civil defense workers, standing by in case anything went wrong.
But its arrival was otherwise smooth — a sign, the rebels who ousted Mr. al-Assad as president 10 days ago hope, that Syria’s new transitional government will be able to run the country. As part of that, they hope to provide war-weary civilians with basic services, including domestic and international flights.
“We consider this a big accomplishment — we are coming to rebuild this country,” said Anas Rustum, who was appointed to oversee the Aleppo airport by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that led the offensive against the Assad government.
He said they were open to welcoming flights from all countries and airlines, touting “these results you are seeing in front of your eyes,” as the just-landed Airbus A320 sat on the tarmac behind him.
The flight was a chance for Syria’s new leaders to demonstrate not only technical competence in aviation but their ability to provide security: On the roof of the terminal building, a security officer armed with a rifle watched over the scene below.
The flight marked a new chapter for Syria as well as the airport itself. Throughout Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war, the civilian facility was used by the Assad government to stage attacks on rebels and civilians living in rebel-held areas.
Ahmed Ibrahim, an airport control tower operator for nearly three decades, said the Assad forces had positioned a machine gun atop the control tower to fire on nearby neighborhoods.
When the rebels captured Aleppo late last month, the airport’s employees were afraid, Mr. Ibrahim said. But they were soon reassured as the rebel leadership called on all airport staff members to return to work.
He said that domestic and international aviation could be a symbol of the new, post-Assad Syria.
“We’re hoping for there to be an opening to other countries,” he said.
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