SunExpress launches direct flights from Antalya, Izmir to Damascus

Turkish-German airline SunExpress has begun operating direct flights from Antalya and Izmir to the Syrian capital Damascus, with two weekly flights from each city, as air traffic between Türkiye and Syria expands following the fall of the Assad regime.

SunExpress, jointly owned by Turkish Airlines and Germany’s Lufthansa, has launched direct flights from Türkiye’s Antalya and Izmir provinces to the Syrian capital Damascus as part of its winter schedule.

In a statement on Friday, Nov. 13, the airline said it operated its first direct flight from Antalya to Damascus on Thursday and will run two weekly flights on Thursdays and Saturdays. It began operating direct flights from Izmir to Damascus on Friday, with two weekly flights on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Passenger terminal at Damascus International Airport

The airline said it will continue operating flights from Izmir to Aleppo in northern Syria during the winter season, adding that the new routes are part of efforts to expand the air network between the two countries.

Air travel between Türkiye and Syria gradually expanded after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024, following an interruption of around 13 years. Turkish Airlines resumed flights from Istanbul to Damascus in January 2025 and then to Aleppo in August of the same year, while AJet launched flights to both cities from Istanbul and Ankara.