Syria bars Turkish carrier AJet’s inaugural flight to Damascus, seeks parity

The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority suddenly cancelled Turkish low-cost carrier AJet’s long-anticipated first flight to the Syrian capital on April 21.

Syrian government demanded that Syrian airlines be granted reciprocal access to Turkish airspace, a Turkish Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry official told Middle East Eye.

Türkiye currently does not allow Syrian carriers to operate flights to the country, citing international sanctions and aviation safety regulations that Syrian airlines fail to meet, the official said.

Currently, Turkish Airlines operates seven weekly flights to Damascus, while Syrian carriers are still barred from flying to Türkiye, as most aircraft operated by Syrian Air, the national flag carrier, and the private airline Cham Wings fail to meet European standards and remain under U.S. sanctions.

While the European Union has recently eased its transport restrictions, Türkiye maintains that flights can only resume if Syria leases aircraft that meet technical requirements and are not affected by international sanctions, the official added.

Another source said that Syrian officials argue their airlines have successfully resumed direct flights to the UAE this week and continue to operate services to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and other regional destinations.

Turkish flights to Syria likely to resume soon as talks near a deal

However, Turkish officials anticipate that the issue will be resolved as early as next week, following ongoing diplomatic efforts between both sides.

Speaking to Türkiye Today, a company official confirmed the situation but declined to comment further, citing ongoing negotiations between the ministers of both countries.

On the other hand, Türkiye is actively cooperating with Syria’s new government to revitalize transportation and infrastructure projects, including the deployment of a Turkish technical team that began work on the renovation of Damascus International Airport in February.

In a similar dispute following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December, Syria’s new administration increased customs duties on neighboring countries as part of its move toward implementing a unified customs regime for all nations, significantly straining trade relations with Türkiye. However, after bilateral talks, Syria agreed to reduce customs duties on 269 products imported from Türkiye.