Flight operations resumed at the Damascus International Airport in Syria's capital on Wednesday, following the recent fall of former President Bashar al-Assad's administration earlier this month.
A Syrian Airlines plane carrying passengers from Damascus landed in Aleppo of northern Syria, marking the first flight between the two cities days after the airport ceased flights.
"Today we are starting with an internal flight. Preparations at the Damascus airport are in full swing, including departments like immigration and civil aviation, to welcome Syrians living abroad who have fled the country, stayed displaced and want to return," said Saad Kheri Beik, operation manager of the Damascus International Airport, told reporters at the airport Wednesday.
Among the changes at the airport is the display of the Syrian flag, which has been switched from the previous two-star flag to a new one featuring three stars.
Currently there are still no international flights scheduled at the airport, given the uncertain security conditions across Syria.
Syria's border crossings remain closed as the newly-formed transitional government is trying to roll out new measures for the entry of both Syrians and foreigners.
A militant alliance led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group waged a major offensive from northern Syria on Nov 27 and had since swept southwards through areas held by al-Assad's government. Following territorial gains, including the capture of the capital Damascus, the alliance declared the end of al-Assad's rule on Dec 8.
Damascus International Airport reopens for domestic flights after Assad's fall
Damascus International Airport reopens for domestic flights after Assad's fall
The Sanya branch of the Peking University (PKU) Hospital of Stomatology based in the tourist resort city of Sanya in south China's tropical Hainan Province -- the country's first national-level regional dental specialty center -- officially opened on Saturday, providing local residents and tourists with access to top-tier dental care without leaving Hainan.
As a key city in the Hainan Free Trade Port and a hub for both tourism and wellness, Sanya has seen rising demand for oral healthcare. Local resources, however, have long been strained.
The newly launched hospital aims to ease the situation. Both its management and medical teams come directly from the main campus of the PKU Hospita of Stomatology in Beijing, ensuring seamless integration and unified standards across diagnoses, treatment, and service quality. The facility comprises of nine specialized buildings, including an emergency outpatient complex and an international medical services building, covering all sub-specialties in dental medicine.
"Since the official start of Hainan Free Trade Port's island-wide special customs operations [on December 18, 2025], the very first zero-tariff items entering the region were advanced dental equipment for our hospital. This enables a wide range of patients in the Hainan region to access the world's latest dental treatment equipment and technology more quickly," said Deng Xuliang, president of the PKU Hospital of Stomatology.
Looking ahead, the main campus of the PKU Hospital of Stomatology will collaborate with medical universities in Hainan to jointly train more specialized professionals for grassroots-level healthcare institutions across the region. Through technical mentorship and integrated training programs, the initiative aims to leverage the policy advantages of the free trade port to build a high-level, comprehensive platform that integrates medical services, education, research, public health, and healthcare management, with particular attention on international patient services and comfort-focused treatment.
"The operation of medical care plus health and wellness programs and of medical care plus tourism projects has jointly contributed to the formation of an internationalized medical care platform in Sanya, which presents a major opportunity for both Sanya and the rest of Hainan, especially as the free trade port enters full operation, making more duty-free medicines and medical devices available locally," said Hu Yulei, director of the Sanya Municipal Health Commission.
Hainan's Sanya opens first national dental specialty center
