German Flights to Damascus and Aleppo... Negotiations to Resume Cairo Routes

SadaNews - The General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport in Syria announced the addition of two German companies planning to operate regular flights between the two countries, while the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation revealed ongoing negotiations to reopen direct flights between Cairo and Damascus.

Regular Flights from Germany

The head of the authority, Omar Al-Hosari, announced via his account on the "X" platform that the German companies "Sundair" and "LEAV Aviation" have joined the list of airlines operating regular flights to Syria, "after completing all necessary operational and regulatory approvals."

According to Al-Hosari, "Sundair" is scheduled to operate two flights weekly between Berlin and both Damascus and Aleppo starting from August 1 and October 1, while "LEAV Aviation" intends to operate two weekly flights connecting Damascus and Aleppo to the German cities of Düsseldorf and Cologne by the end of July and early August.

Al-Hosari stated that the authority is currently continuing discussions with several other international airlines interested in operating flights to Syria, pointing out that "any new agreements will be announced as soon as their procedures are completed," adding that "Syrian Airlines will soon announce its schedule for regular flights to the Federal Republic of Germany."

Negotiations to Resume the Cairo Route

In this regard, Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation, Sameh Hefni, disclosed in statements to "CNBC Arabia" that negotiations are ongoing to reopen direct flights with Syria in the coming period, noting that the process depends on "meeting certain aviation security and safety requirements." The minister confirmed progress in this path, adding: "We hope to open flight lines with Syria soon."

"EgyptAir" had suspended its commercial flights and closed its offices in Syria since December 2012 due to "the instability of security conditions around Damascus Airport." Meanwhile, Syrian carriers continued flights between Damascus and Cairo until the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, after which flights were suspended until now.

What are the Next Destinations?

These announcements follow the Syrian Airlines' launch of its first direct flights between Damascus and the Dutch capital of Amsterdam in early July, where the inaugural flight left Schiphol Airport heading to Damascus International Airport via a plane rented by Syrian Airlines from "Heston Airlines."

At that time, the CEO of the Syrian Holding Aviation Company, Anwar Aqad, told the Syrian news agency "SANA" that operating flights to Amsterdam represents "the beginning of a series of international destinations that will be announced successively."

Sameh Araabi, assistant head of the General Authority for Civil Aviation, had revealed in a previous interview with "Syrian News" in June that the Syrian aviation authority had submitted official requests to land at several European airports.

He added that these requests included the Austrian capital Vienna, along with Scandinavian countries specifically mentioning Copenhagen and Malmö airports, as part of the authority's efforts to expand its flight network and resume connecting Syria with European destinations that have Syrian communities.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies