Welcome to Syria
(Photo Airbus/ Alexandre Doumenjou)
AIRLINES ARE returning to Syria, with scheduled flights recently announced by Emirates, flynas, Jazeera Airways, and Romanian low-cost operator Dan Air. The relaunch of operations, in many cases after more than a decade, follows improvements in regional security after the overthrow of the Assad regime. Emirates confirmed its return to the Syrian capital, after a 13-year hiatus, with thrice-weekly Boeing 777-200LR flights to Damascus beginning on July 16, becoming daily by late October. In June, Saudi low-cost carrier flynas restarted operations to Damascus from Riyadh and Jeddah, becoming the first Saudi airline to connect the two countries in 12 years. Kuwaiti low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways has announced plans to resume flights to Damascus subject to approval. Romanian airline Dan Air inaugurated Bucharest-Damascus flights on June 15, becoming the sole European carrier to operate scheduled services to Syria, coming after formal clearances and bilateral agreements were secured from both Romanian and Syrian authorities. The route will operate four times per week using Airbus A320-200s.