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Turkish airline AnadoluJet operated its first direct flight from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul to the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Tuesday.
Although the company initially planned to begin flights from Istanbul to Damascus on April 21, 2025, the launch was delayed after Syrian authorities reportedly halted the route shortly before the first flight was scheduled to take off.
According to Middle East Eye, the suspension was due to Syrian demands for reciprocal traffic rights to Türkiye. Flights from Ankara were still planned to begin on April 22 as part of AnadoluJet’s 2024 summer schedule to expand regional connectivity.
A special ceremony was held at the airport ahead of the inaugural flight, attended by Halil Ucar, Administrative Director of Sabiha Gokcen Airport; Kemal Yuksel, Director General of Civil Aviation; Faruk Kacir, Director of the Sabiha Gokcen Airport Authority; and Kerem Sarp, General Manager of AnadoluJet.
Following the ceremony, the aircraft departed for Damascus, officially marking the airline’s first flight to the Syrian capital.
This launch follows a similar move by Syrian Airlines, which resumed flights to Istanbul in June after years due to the Syrian conflict.
The flight from Syria that arrived at Istanbul Airport in June was the first commercial route reestablished by the Syrian flag carrier since service was suspended in 2012.
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, had previously stated that AnadoluJet’s intention to increase the number of flights in the future, in line with passenger demand and operational feasibility, highlighted a positive outlook for the gradual normalization of civil aviation ties between Türkiye and Syria.
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