Emirates reopens Dubai-Damascus route after 13-year suspension

Emirates has officially resumed operations in Damascus, the capital of Syria, after a 13-year hiatus, reestablishing the city amongst its Middle East destinations. 

According to the airline’s statement, the first resumed flight, EK913, took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB) with 286 passengers on board and landed at Damascus International Airport (DAM) on July 16, 2025, at 14:30 local time, where it was welcomed with a water cannon salute. 

“The UAE and Syria have historically enjoyed strong bilateral ties and the country has always been an important market for Emirates, since our first flights to the country,” said Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations.  

Emirates officials were among the passengers onboard the flight and they conducted the arrival ceremony upon landing in the Syrian capital.  

The flight was greeted by a VIP delegation, which included Syrian officials, members of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, representatives from Damascus airport, and local media. 

“The teams from the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority and the United Arab Emirates worked tirelessly, through high-level coordination and a shared vision, to meet all requirements necessary to resume air operations,” said Alaa Sallal, Director of Public Relations at the General Authority of Civil Aviation of Syria. 

Celebration of first resumed flight / EmiratesAlthough the celebratory first flight has already taken place, the airline announced that daily passenger flights to Damascus will commence on October 26, 2025. 

Before that, the service will run three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays. The plan is to then increase the service to four times a week starting from August 2, 2025, adding a Saturday flight. 

According to the airline, the flights to and from Damascus will use Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. These aircraft have 38 Business Class seats and 264 Economy Class seats. The Business Class on the Damascus route will have a 2-2-2 seating arrangement. 

Emirates started flights to Damascus in 1988, and before halting operations, the airline transported more than 2.1 million passengers to and from Syria. The carrier halted its operations to Damascus in 2012 due to the Syrian civil war and worsening security in the region. 

The carrier currently flies to 14 cities in the Middle East/GCC, serving the region with a total of 194 weekly flights.  The post Emirates reopens Dubai-Damascus route after 13-year suspension appeared first on AeroTime.

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