In a sign that peace and normalcy are returning to Syria, commercial flights between Iraq and Syria will resume this week.

Iraqi authorities decided Thursday to resume air flights with Syria, following an eight-year suspension due to the military conflicts that have spread across the country since 2011.

Iraqi airlines announced earlier this week that Iraqi airplanes would start trips to the Syrian capital.

The Syrian ministry of transport also released a statement on its website stating that the Syrian ministry of transport welcomes the Iraqi decision to resume air flights between the two neighboring Arab countries.

The statement read that Damascus International Airport will receive the first Iraqi flight next Saturday.

According to the statement, the Syrian Civil Aviation Authorities assert that Syrian space is now safe to receive air flights and that the authorities are more than ready to provide all logistic support, needed.

The military conflict in Syria began in 2011 when Syria saw mass demonstrations that demanded economic reforms. Soon, the demonstrations turned into violence, leading to civil war across the region. Militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIL or ISIS) then carried out large-scale military attacks on different parts of Syria, provoking a war between Syria’s army and the group.

Recently, Russia deployed its military arsenal throughout Syria, helping the Syrian army force ISIS elements out of many Syrian towns and villages.