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"Wings of Al-Sham" and Secret Normalization Door.. Turkey Opens Its Airspace to Syrian Aviation
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Allowing flights by a U.S.-sanctioned airline company to Turkey reveals a dramatic shift in Ankara's position, which previously supported armed groups against Damascus
Syrian media sources revealed that "Wings of Al-Sham" airline, which is on U.S. sanctions lists, plans to launch an air route connecting Aleppo airport with Istanbul and Cairo via Kuwait.
The official Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported Wednesday that the Syrian regime-affiliated company will begin operating weekly flights every Thursday from Aleppo airport to both Turkish and Egyptian destinations via Kuwait, starting November 14.
The sudden announcement raised questions about its timing, especially as some digital platforms circulated information about direct flights between Aleppo and Istanbul, while normalization efforts between Ankara and Damascus are experiencing notable setbacks.
A tourism company in Aleppo explained that the flights will be "transit" through Kuwait International Airport, where Syrian aircraft will stop for five hours before passengers continue their journey on Kuwait's Jazeera Airways aircraft.
A source at the tourism company revealed that Kuwait's Jazeera Airways signed an agreement with "Wings of Al-Sham" to transport their passengers to destinations that Syrian aircraft cannot reach due to sanctions and political restrictions.
Ticket prices from Aleppo or Damascus to Istanbul via Kuwait range between 4.5 and 5 million Syrian pounds, with options to land at Istanbul and Sabiha airports, while return flights are limited to Damascus airport only.
"Wings of Al-Sham" had previously announced mid-last month the launch of flights from Damascus to Istanbul and Cairo via Kuwait, as an alternative to the Beirut route which was suspended due to Israeli bombing damage to the Masnaa crossing.
The company operates two travel systems: either directly from Damascus to Beirut by air and then to the intended destination, or by land to Beirut via its buses then by air to the final destination.
This development comes amid the interruption of the land route between Syria and Lebanon since Israel targeted the vicinity of the Masnaa crossing in early October, which prompted "Wings of Al-Sham" to shift transit flights from Beirut to Kuwait.
The company is classified as Syria's second national carrier, owned by "Shamuot Trading Group," and suspended operations in 2012 due to sanctions before resuming activities in 2014.
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on "Wings of Al-Sham" in late 2016, accusing it of providing financial, technical, and logistical support to the Syrian regime and the government airline.
This gradual aerial rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara reflects a dramatic shift in Turkish policy, which played a pivotal role in fueling the Syrian conflict since 2011.
In its normalization efforts with the Syrian regime, Ankara ignored its direct responsibility for the flow of tens of thousands of foreign fighters into Syria through its territory, which contributed to transforming peaceful protests into an armed conflict.
Political analysts view Turkey's reconciliation attempts with Damascus as coming at the expense of the Syrian opposition, which Ankara previously supported and transformed into mercenary forces serving its interests in Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Africa.
Turkey ignores in its negotiations with the Syrian regime the fate of about 4 million Syrian refugees on its territory, who fled from the oppression of the regime that Ankara now seeks to reconcile with, in stark contradiction to its previous positions.
These shifts in Turkish policy raise serious concerns about the fate of Syrian armed factions that Ankara trained and armed, which are likely to find themselves new victims of the region's volatile political interests.
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