Saudi Arabia's flyadeal joins growing list of airlines flying to Syria

Saudi Arabian budget airline flyadeal could start flying to Syria as early as July, its chief executive said on Wednesday, joining a growing list of regional carriers to introduce or restart flights to the war-torn country as the West eases sanctions.

"We got approvals last week to fly to Syria," flyadeal boss Steven Greenway told Reuters. "We're getting ready to hopefully launch that in July."

Why it matters: A handful of airlines have announced flights to Syria in recent weeks as the West begins lifting sanctions on the Middle Eastern country following the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad last December. Assad fled amid a lightning rebel offensive led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, formerly the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

Despite widespread international skepticism, Syria’s interim government, led by former HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, insists the new administration will respect human rights and international law and help the country’s economy recover from 13 years of civil war. After meetings with dozens of international leaders and a host of media interviews, some Western leaders appear to be convinced of his plan.