Emirates to Reintroduce Flights to Syria from July 16

Emirates, Dubai’s national carrier, on Monday said that it will reintroduce flights to Damascus, which were suspended to the Syrian capital in 2012, from 16 July 2025 subject to government approvals. The return of services follows a comprehensive evaluation in conjunction with the UAE GCAA.

The airline will initially start with three weekly services on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, with plans to expand to four weekly flights from August 2 with an additional flight on Saturday. Emirates will expand its Damascus services to daily operations, effective October 26.

Emirates’ services to Damascus will operate with a 302-seater Boeing 777-200LR and is planned to depart Dubai as EK 913 at 1200hrs, arriving in Damascus International Airport at 1410hrs local time. The return flight, EK 914 will depart Damascus at 1630hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2030hrs local time.

The flights will open up new opportunities for travellers to conveniently connect to and from the airline’s network of nearly 150 destinations and will support the UAE’s efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and support Syrian aspirations to rebuild and attract foreign investment across key sectors such as energy, construction and agriculture.

Emirates’ customers flying to and from Damascus will also benefit from the airline’s codeshare partnership with flydubai, which will complement its flight schedule and provide more options and convenience when flying in and out of the Syrian capital.

Emirates Airline and Group Chairman and Chief Executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said that Emirates restarting operations to Damascus and supporting Syria’s road ahead by providing better choice and connectivity, essential economic links for inwards investment as well as opening new trade lanes and global market access for the country.

He said that re-establishing air travel and connectivity was also good news for the airline’s customers that make up the expansive Syrian diaspora across the Americas, Europe and the GCC, who are eager to fly back home and reconnect to their roots, and leverage their knowledge, skills, expertise and resources in ongoing development efforts.

Trade Volume

The trade volume between the UAE and Syria $680 million in 2024, a 23% increase over the previous year, and the new flights will further stimulate vital trade ties.

The UAE’s thriving Syrian community of over 350,000 nationals have played an integral role in the UAE’s prosperity, contributing through entrepreneurial ventures and skilled expertise while further enriching the country’s vibrant cultural tapestry.

The Boeing 777-200LR aircraft operating to and from Damascus features 38 Business Class seats alongside 264 seats in Economy Class. Emirates Business Class on the Damascus service will feature a 2-2-2 configuration. 

Travellers flying to and from Damascus with Emirates can enjoy the best experience in the sky with an unmatched culinary experience, including Levantine inspired dishes complemented by a wide selection of premium beverages.

Customers can also sit back and relax with up to 6,500 channels of carefully curated entertainment, including close to 650 channels of Arabic content, including movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, games, audiobooks and more with ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system.

Emirates commenced services to Damascus in 1988, and prior to suspending operations in 2012 the airline carried over 2.1 million passengers in and out of Syria. The airline currently flies to 13 cities in the Middle East/GCC, serving the region with a total of 191 weekly flights.