Damascus airport, which has been closed since opposition forces took over the capital, will reopen “in the next few days”, its director Anis Fallouh told AFP news agency.

“God willing, the airport will reopen as quickly as possible because we are going to work flat out,” Fallouh said, adding that it should happen “in the next few days”.

“We can quickly resume flights through Syrian airspace.”

Aircraft maintenance official Samer Radi said there were currently 12 aircraft on the ground, one of which had been stripped of its equipment by looters during the takeover by opposition forces.