Emirates to Reintroduce Flights to Damascus Following 2012 Suspension

Emirates is set to reintroduce flights to Damascus from 16 July 2025*. Operations were suspended in 2012, and the return of services will follow 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 2 August* with an additional flight on Saturday. Emirates will expand its Damascus services to daily operations, effective 26 October*.

Emirates’ services to Damascus will operate with a 302-seater Boeing 777-200LR and are planned to depart Dubai as EK 913 at 12:00, arriving in Damascus International Airport at 14:10 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. They will also support the UAE’s efforts to strengthen bilateral ties, Syrian aspirations to rebuild, and 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. This partnership will complement the airline's flight schedule and provide more options and convenience when flying in and out of the Syrian capital.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: “Emirates is pleased to restart operations to Damascus and support 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. Re-establishing air travel and connectivity is also good news for our customers who 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.

We would like to thank the Syrian authorities for their support in strengthening connectivity between Dubai and Damascus. We look forward to boosting links to and from the country through our regularly scheduled operations.”

The UAE and Syria’s trade volumes reached US$680 million (AED 2.5 billion) in 2024¹, 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 nationals² has 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 Economy Class seats. 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 before 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 191 weekly flights.

*Subject to government approvals

**Summer timings

¹Source: Figures obtained from the UAE Ministry of Economy

²Source: Figures obtained from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs