An aerial view of Damascus Airport.
Etihad Airways will relaunch service to Damascus in June 2026, its first flights to Syria in almost 14 years.
The Abu Dhabi–Damascus route will begin on June 12, 2026, with four flights per week, operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. The move marks the Gulf airline’s return to Syria for the first time since suspending operations in August 2012 as the country’s civil war escalated.
“This new route reflects our commitment to connecting people to the places that matter most to them,” Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves says. “We are proud to expand our network into Damascus ... and to support the Syrian population with direct links to and from Abu Dhabi, as well as convenient onward connections across our global network.”
Neves says the move also reflects growing trade and cultural ties between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Syria. Trade between the two countries grew 23% in 2024 to AED2.5 billion ($680 million), and more than 350,000 Syrians now reside in the UAE.
Etihad becomes the latest international carrier to resume flights to Damascus following a wave of reentries in 2025. Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian and Turkish Airlines each restarted operations in January, and Emirates returned in July. Flydubai, Flynas, Air Arabia and Dan Air have also launched operations, while Saudi Arabian LCC flyadeal plans to begin flights from Jeddah and Riyadh in October.
OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that 13 airlines currently serve Syria, 11 of them international. Local operator Fly Cham is the country’s largest airline with a 26.9% share of departure seats, followed by Qatar Airways at 13.5% and Royal Jordanian at 9.6%. There are now 21 international routes from Syria—16 from Damascus and five from Aleppo.
The UAE market is already among Syria’s largest, with Sharjah and Dubai ranked second and third in September by seat capacity, behind Kuwait. Abu Dhabi’s addition strengthens links across the Gulf, where expatriate demand and business ties are fueling recovery.
Syria’s air transport revival comes amid broader efforts to rebuild the sector after more than a decade of war and isolation. A Qatari-led consortium has pledged $250 million to Syrian Air to finance up to 10 A320s, part of a $4 billion package aimed at redeveloping and expanding Damascus International Airport.
For Etihad, Damascus will be the 28th new destination announced in the past year as it pursues ambitious growth plans. Other new routes include service to Almaty, Kazakhstan; Baku, Azerbaijan; Bucharest, Romania; Medina, Saudi Arabia; Tbilisi, Georgia; and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Related Content
