Flights to 'world's most dangerous city' resume after 13-year hiatus
The move marks the first time Syria's second-largest city will be reintroduced to international flight networks, following huge political shifts between Turkey and Syria. Aleppo boasts strong cultural heritage and is known for traditional Arab poetry, as well as having good commercial links.
But since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime last year when the dictator was forced out by Syrian rebels, the political situation in the country has changed. Now, things have improved so much that the air company will be offering a daily flight, initially on sale for $299 (£226) return.
Many of those on board were Syrian nations and were returning to their home country for the first time in years. It comes after Syria's new leader President Ahmad al-Sharaa stepped into power in January.
Qatar Airways is also set to start flights to Aleppo from Doha next month. Turkish Airlines was recently crowned the continent's best carrier in the World Airline Awards.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Most Gulf markets fall on weak earnings, US economic worries
Aug 3 (Reuters) - Most stock markets in the Gulf ended lower on Sunday hit by lacklustre earnings, while a cooling U.S. labor market clouded the Federal Reserve's policy outlook as investors scrutinized recent U.S. tariff decisions. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 41% on U.S. imports from dozens of countries that failed to reach trade deals with Washington by his August 1 deadline. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI), opens new tab dropped 0.8%, hit by a 1.2% decline by oil behemoth Saudi Aramco ( opens new tab ahead of its earnings announcement on Tuesday. Jabal Omar Development ( opens new tab slid 5.4%, after posting a second-quarter loss. The developer - which runs the Jabal Omar complex of hotels and property near Mecca's Grand Mosque - was hit by reduced hotel revenues and a 106 million riyal ($28.26 million) property impairment charge, which lowered gross profit. Among other losers, Saudi Basic Industries Corp ( opens new tab - 70% owned by Saudi Aramco - retreated 1.2%, after reporting a second-quarter loss. The chemical firm attributed its losses to 3.78 billion riyals in impairment charges and provisions related to a cracker closure in the UK in line with a portfolio review to reduce costs and improve profitability. Oil prices - a catalyst for the Gulf's financial markets - fell $2 a barrel on Friday due to jitters over a potential production hike by OPEC and its allies, while a weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs report fed worries about demand. Eight OPEC+ countries meeting on Sunday have agreed to raise oil output in September by 548,000 barrels per day, Reuters reported citing two OPEC+ sources while the meeting was still under way. Elsewhere, Saudi Aramco Base Oil Co ( opens new tab plunged 10% - its biggest intraday fall since its listing in December 2022 - following an 18% drop in quarterly profit. In Qatar, the index (.QSI), opens new tab fell 0.8%, with Qatar Islamic Bank ( opens new tab losing 1.8%. Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index (.EGX30), opens new tab added 0.2%, helped by a 3.2% rise in tobacco monopoly Eastern Company ( opens new tab. ($1 = 3.7511 riyals)
Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Telegraph
Weather, quality of life, a sense of community: why I left stagnant Britain for Dubai
I first moved to Dubai before it was in vogue to do so. In 2015, I was fresh out of university, a 21-year-old unsure of where adulthood would take me. So, on a whim, I accepted a job at a restaurant in Dubai and boarded a one-way flight for what I initially planned to be one year of life experience living abroad. Instead I have been here for 10 years now. The Dubai I landed in a decade ago wasn't the same place that saturates the feeds of influencers and reality TV stars today, and where young people from the UK are reportedly fleeing to in their droves. Back then, the place was slower, more spread out, more paperwork-heavy. But the city has worked hard – and fast – to make life more seamless and digitally-driven. There are plenty of opportunities that cater to the growing number of residents who come from the west to work and settle. There is even a government-backed 'Quality of Life Strategy', released in 2024, that encompasses 200 projects: this aims to turn Dubai into the world's best city to live in by 2033. So I'm not surprised that so many young people are now turning to Dubai. According to a recent study from the think tank the Adam Smith Institute, 28 per cent of 18-30 year-olds are either planning to quit the UK or have seriously considered emigrating to a foreign country. Many of them are coming to Dubai, and who can blame them? Britain is plagued by stagnant economic wages and inflation; it is practically impossible to buy a property in London unless you have family wealth or work in finance. While my own surface-level reasons for moving to Dubai ten years ago revolved around safety, sunshine and sun-soaked weekends by the beach, my reasons for staying in the United Arab Emirates are now much stronger. Living in a city that celebrates success and hard work, I quickly climbed the career ladder and landed a job at a top entertainment magazine. Then, earlier this year, I launched my own business. This process took little over a week thanks to the diverse business license opportunities now available to expats. One might say that this is all and good, but what about a sense of community? Isn't Dubai a transient place, a city for people who only care about themselves? This is a false impression. With such a large expat population (over 85 per cent, according to government data), there's a powerful sense of community here that makes friendships feel more genuine and deeply rooted. When I got married last year, to the husband I met eight years before while also chasing his dreams in Dubai, our wedding party was filled with friends from Scotland, South Africa and Singapore. People from all corners of the world who'd been essential support systems through our Dubai years, and whose ambitions and drive to build better lives for themselves mirror our own. We've now established firm roots in Dubai and, as I write this, my husband and I are beginning our third property renovation project. This time, a villa in the heart of the city that we worked hard and saved for determinedly, which we hope to make our family home. Sure, living abroad is still hard at times. The pangs of guilt from missing my mum's birthday or my niece's first day of school are feelings all expats must grapple with. But I'm grateful for the life I've been able to build in Dubai – in terms of better work opportunities and a greater standard of living, it beats living in the UK. And I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
Reuters
14 hours ago
- Reuters
Saudi chemical maker SABIC reports another surprise loss in Q2
DUBAI, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Saudi chemicals giant SABIC ( opens new tab, one of the world's biggest petrochemicals companies, reported another surprise loss in the second quarter on Sunday, after the company took the decision to shut a cracker in the UK amid a restructuring of its business during an industry slowdown. SABIC reported net loss of 4.07 billion riyals ($1.09 billion) for the three months to June 30, missing analyst expectations of a profit of 504 million riyals, LSEG data showed. Shares declined 1.6% at the open to 53.8 riyals. SABIC, which is 70% owned by oil major Saudi Aramco ( opens new tab, has posted three consecutive losses in quarterly earnings as the chemicals industry grapples with weak demand that has weighed on sales. The company said in its earnings report on Sunday that the loss was mainly attributed to 3.78 billion riyals impairment charges and provisions related to a cracker closure in the United Kingdom, in line with the company portfolio review to reduce cost and improve profitability. SABIC shares are down almost 19% this year on the Saudi exchange. Earlier this month, the company said it was studying strategic options for its National Industrial Gases Company (GAS), including an initial public offering, amid a broad review of its business. SABIC said in a statement that the move was in line with its portfolio optimization and core business focus strategy, adding that an IPO of GAS would be aimed at improving the group's "financial position and the value added for shareholders". ($1 = 3.7511 riyals)
