flydubai has resumed services to Damascus, 12 years after the airline ceased all operations to Syria.
The airline commenced operations to the Syrian capital on June 1, 2025, operating a daily service on the route. This comes after the airline suspended all operations to Damascus in 2012, citing security concerns after civil war broke out in the country.
In 2019, Damascus International Airport said that flydubai was “mulling” the resumption of flights to Syria, after the UAE re-opened its embassy in Damascus in 2018.
“As an important cultural centre in the region, we look forward to serving the market and stimulating free flows of travel, trade and tourism between the two countries,” said Hamad Obaidalla, chief commercial officer at flydubai.
Following this resumption of flydubai operations to the Syrian capital, fellow Dubai-based carrier Emirates will also resume flights to Damascus from July 16, 2025. The airline will initially start with three weekly services, with plans to expand to four weekly flights from August 2. The carrier will expand its Damascus services to daily operations from October 26, 2025.
These flight resumptions come as the UAE and Syria’s trade volumes saw a 23% increase during 2024, reaching $680 million.
Earlier this year both Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines also resumed operations to Damascus.