Ukrainian flight lands in Syria after years of suspension

An Ukrainian airplane arrived Sunday in the airport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia, the first foreign flight to land in the war-torn country since 2012.

With only ten passengers onboard a boeing 737, the Ukrainian Autolux Airways launched its first trip to Syria, despite the European Union sanctions and the security situation in Syria.

The move is considered as a first step toward re-establishing foreign flights into embattled country, where traveling has become a troublesome experience for the majority of Syrians, who have to drive to Beirut, Lebanon to travel to their destinations in any part of the world.

Sunday's flight will be followed by one flight each week from Kiev to Latakia and vice versa, and the company also provided the Syrians inside the country with transit service in Kiev and continuous flights to other parts of the world, mainly to Russia and the United States.

Even though the Syrians who want to have a transit in Kiev must have valid transit visa to Ukraine, the Ukrainian embassy in Syria promised to make facilitations for the Syrians to encourage them to travel on this airlines.

"The trip was perfect as a first flight launched between Ukraine and Syria. I always wanted to come to Syria and that's why I picked this flight to visit home," Youssef Saleh, a Syrian expat in Ukraine, told Xinhua at the Bassel al-Assad international airport in Latakia countryside.

The Syrian National Airways now offer flights to a small number of countries, such as to some of the Gulf States, Egypt, and Russia.

The Syrian government has recently encouraged other local airways to start trips to nearby countries, a move aims to facilitate the traveling process for the Syrians. Endit