Syrian authorities on Thursday announced the arrival of the first Turkish passenger plane at Damascus International Airport after a 13-year hiatus.

Engineer Saad Khairbek, an official at Damascus International Airport, said the plane was carrying more than 100 passengers, all Syrians who had come from Turkey.

The Boeing 777 took off from Istanbul airport on Thursday morning, following the resumption of flights between Istanbul and Damascus.

Turkish Airlines suspended flights to Syria on 1 April 2012 due to internal unrest.

Turkey, which shares more than 900 kilometres of border with Syria, is home to some 2.9 million Syrian refugees.