A delegation from the Syrian government arrived, on Saturday, February 21, at Qamishli International Airport in northeastern Syria, in a step aimed at completing procedures to reactivate and fully operate the facility. The move comes as part of a series of accelerated administrative and security measures witnessed in al-Hasakah province in recent days.
According to local sources who spoke to Enab Baladi, the delegation was headed by Marwan al-Ali, Director of Internal Security in the province, and included officials from the Civil Aviation Authority and technical teams. They arrived aboard a Syrian Airlines civilian aircraft carrying technical equipment to the airport.
Upon arrival, the delegation began coordination meetings inside the airport to discuss the technical and security arrangements necessary to resume regular flights. In recent years, operations at Qamishli Airport had been limited and intermittent due to security and political conditions in the region.
A vital facility amid shifting dynamics
Qamishli Airport is one of the most significant strategic facilities in northeastern Syria. Throughout the years of conflict, it served as a key hub for both civilian and military air transport and as a primary gateway for civilian travel, as well as for the transfer of employees and goods, particularly during periods when overland travel was difficult.
In previous years, the airport operated under specific security understandings that maintained the presence of the former regime inside the facility, while most local administrative functions in al-Hasakah province were managed by the Autonomous Administration.
However, recent developments at the beginning of this year have reshaped the administrative and security landscape in the province, paving the way for a broader presence of Syrian government institutions across several vital facilities.
The arrival of the Internal Security delegation is linked to an announcement made yesterday by al-Hasakah Governor Nour al-Din Ahmad, who said that roads leading to the city of al-Hasakah would reopen starting Sunday, following the completion of procedures to ensure safe traffic movement. The step is intended to ease restrictions imposed by recent military and security developments.
Package of administrative measures
On Friday, the governor also announced a series of measures aimed at “enhancing service and administrative stability and facilitating citizens’ affairs.” These included the resumption of overland passenger transport between al-Hasakah and Damascus, a move expected to strengthen connectivity and facilitate the movement of people and goods.
He also referred to the supervision of a specialized committee overseeing the integration process within the General Establishment for Grain Trade and Processing, as well as the reinstatement of dismissed employees in accordance with legal procedures. These steps form part of a broader restructuring process of public institutions in the province, in line with the laws and regulations in force in the Syrian state.
In parallel, the governor announced directives to release a batch of prisoners, without disclosing their numbers or the nature of their cases. The move was interpreted as an attempt to create a calmer environment amid ongoing transformations.
Implementing the January agreement
These developments coincide with the continued implementation of the agreement signed on January 30 between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF. The agreement stipulates the integration of civilian and service institutions into the structures of central ministries in Damascus.
On February 18, the committee tasked with overseeing the integration of the health sector into the Ministry of Health began its work in al-Hasakah province, marking a practical step in implementing the agreement. Discussions are also underway regarding mechanisms to integrate the education sector and establish a Directorate for Emergency and Disaster Management in the province.
These measures follow weeks of field and administrative developments across large parts of northeastern Syria. The Syrian army took control of the eastern and southern countryside of the province, while the aforementioned agreement led to a limited redeployment of government security forces in several key centers within the cities of al-Hasakah and Qamishli. It also initiated a gradual transfer of institutions to the supervision of the relevant ministries of the Syrian government.
The reopening of Qamishli Airport represents one of the most significant symbolic and practical steps in the integration process, given its sovereign and service-related significance and the logistical facilitation it may provide for the movement of employees and technical staff expected to arrive in the province as sectors are reactivated.
Expected implications
Reactivating the airport is expected to ease travel burdens on residents of al-Hasakah, who in previous periods had to travel long distances by road to reach other airports, facing challenges related to cost, time, and security conditions.
The resumption of overland transport and reopening of roads is also anticipated to positively affect trade and the transportation of goods in al-Hasakah, one of Syria’s most important agricultural regions and a key center for grain and livestock production.
At the same time, the mechanisms for integrating the education, health, and other service sectors remain under close watch, particularly given the need to regularize the status of thousands of employees and unify administrative and financial systems after years of operating under different structures.
With the arrival of the Internal Security delegation at Qamishli Airport, signs of a gradual transition in the management of vital facilities in al-Hasakah toward Syrian government supervision are becoming more evident. Officials say the process aims to reunify the province’s administrative and service structures, while residents await tangible improvements in their living and service conditions in the coming phase.
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