The main airport in Syria airport descended into chaos as the regime fell and President Bashar al-Assad fled the country due to an uprising.

Footage shows passengers scrambling as Damascus International Airport was evacuated on December 8. Travellers rushed through security checkpoints, hurrying towards departure gates before aviation was grounded.

Reports indicate that all scheduled flights of Syrian carriers, arriving and departing from Damascus Airport, were cancelled. The country's airspace was also closed.

Assad took power in July 2000, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled since 1970 after seizing control in a coup against President Nureddin al-Atassi.

Since 2011, Assad has waged a brutal civil war following a rebel uprising.

Russia, a close ally of Syria, has confirmed Assad's departure and stated he has resigned, though his current location remains unknown.