Aegean Airlines will add Syria to its network in December and plans to launch flights to Libya next spring, extending its network from Athens as both countries rebuild international air links.
Flights between Athens International Airport (ATH) and Damascus International Airport (DAM) will begin Dec. 2, operating up to four times weekly during winter on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The airline is also preparing services to Tripoli and Benghazi for May 2027, although those plans depend on assessments and regulatory procedures. Frequencies and aircraft have not been announced.
Syria's aviation sector has been recovering since the fall of Bashar Assad in December 2024. The country's removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism in August cleared another obstacle to restoring ties with airlines, aircraft suppliers and investors.
Libya has also been rebuilding its European connections. Italy's civil aviation authority, ENAC, has been working to expand links between the two countries, while airlines have added capacity across Libya's European network.
Sabre Market Intelligence estimates that approximately 551,500 two-way origin-and-destination (O&D) passengers traveled between Syria and Europe, including Turkey, in the 12 months through June 2026, compared with about 60,100 a year earlier. Turkey was the largest market, accounting for approximately 245,300 passengers, followed by Germany with 115,300. Greece generated about 20,000 passengers, with almost all traveling between Athens and Damascus.
Turkey also dominates nonstop capacity. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows approximately 99,500 two-way seats between Turkey and Syria in October 2026, alongside services linking Syria with Germany, the Netherlands and Romania.
In Libya's market, approximately 636,700 two-way passengers traveled between the North African country and Europe in the year through June, down 14.3% on the same period 12 months earlier. Most of that decline came from Turkey, where traffic fell to about 453,900 from 634,100.
Despite this, Libya-Italy traffic rose 52.7% to approximately 62,800 passengers, while the Greece market more than doubled to about 12,300. Athens accounted for approximately 6,500 passengers traveling to or from Tripoli Mitiga and 5,400 for Benghazi.
Aegean would face limited existing competition on both Libya routes. Medsky Airways already connects Athens with Tripoli Mitiga and Benghazi in OAG's October schedules.
Despite the decline in annual passenger traffic, scheduled Libya-Europe capacity has increased. Airlines are offering approximately 122,700 two-way seats in October, up 26.4% year over year. Turkey accounts for about 79%, followed by Italy.
The expansion comes after Middle East disruption affected Aegean's own network. The carrier suspended flights across parts of the region from March through June, losing both direct traffic and passengers connecting through Athens. However, its Athens-Dubai service will resume Oct. 23.
Aegean's first-half revenue rose 4% to €816.6 million ($897.8 million), but higher fuel and emissions costs contributed to a €3.3 million net loss. CEO Dimitris Gerogiannis said in September that the airline would maintain “a highly disciplined capacity outlook for at least the next 6-8 months.”
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