In a significant development, a passenger plane from the European Union (EU) landed in Damascus on Monday for the first time in over a decade.
The Dan Air flight, which departed from Bucharest, arrived in the Syrian capital in the morning with 138 passengers on board, according to Mohammed al-Raz, a representative of the airline in Syria.
Al-Raz confirmed that the flight included both Syrians and foreign nationals. He added that the return flight from Damascus to Bucharest would carry 125 passengers.
This marks the first commercial flight by an EU-based airline to Syria since early 2012, when European carriers suspended operations amid escalating unrest and the closure of European embassies in Damascus.
Dan Air, a small budget airline based in Romania, currently operates only three aircraft. However, it appears poised to play a pioneering role in restoring air links between Europe and Syria.
“Dan Air is reopening the door to trade relations with Syria,” said Dan Air boss Matt Ian David in a statement.
According to the airline’s booking platform, starting in July, passengers will also be able to travel from Berlin to Damascus with a connecting flight through Bucharest. Additional connections from Frankfurt and Stockholm are also expected to follow.
A media report indicated that the Bucharest-Damascus route is scheduled to operate four times a week.
