Emirates Resumes Service to Damascus, Syria

Emirates has relaunched service to Damascus, with the touchdown of flight EK913 in the Syrian capital with 286 passengers on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 14:30 local time.

Emirates Flight EK913 is Greeted at Damascus International Airport on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, With a Traditional Water cannon Salute – Courtesy Emirates

On Thursday (July 17, 2025), Emirates announced the restart of service to Damascus.  The first resumed flight, EK913, touched down in the Syrian capital yesterday at 14:30 local time with 286 passengers onboard, and was greeted at Damascus International Airport with a traditional water cannon salute.  Initially, Emirates will operate the Dubai-Damascus route three times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays, with plans to add a fourth weekly Saturday service from August 2, 2025. Flight frequencies will then increase to daily service on October 26, 2025.  Customers flying to and from Damascus will also benefit from Emirates’ codeshare partnership with flydubai, which will provide more options and convenience when flying in and out of the Syrian capital.

Speaking at the launch event on Wednesday, Emirates’ SVP – Commercial Operations, Adil Al Ghaith, said,

“Today marks a significant milestone as we celebrate the return of Emirates to Damascus.  By providing our services and connecting Damascus to the world, we are helping to reunite families, friends, and communities who have long awaited easier access to their loved ones.

“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 in 1988.  Through our passenger operations, we aim to serve as a vital facilitator for tourism, trade and investment and, in connecting Syria to almost 150 destinations across our network, we hope to be a valuable enabler of its recovery.  We would like to thank the Syrian and UAE authorities and General Authority of Civil Aviation for their cooperation and commitment to making the resumption of services possible.”

Sami Aqil, Senior Vice President, Emirates’ Airport Services Outstation and Business Support, Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President International Affairs, Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations (Centre), H.E. Hasan Ahmed Al-Shehhi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Syria, H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Operations Officer, Amjad Nakhal, Director of the Chairman’s Office, Alaa Sallal, Director of PR, General Authority of Civil Aviation, H.E Omar Bin Ghaleb, Deputy Director General, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority - Courtesy Emirates

Also commenting on Emirates’ return to Damascus, The General Authority of Civil Aviation in Syria’s Director of Public Relations, Alaa Sallal, said,

“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.  These fruitful efforts culminated in the successful reinstatement of Emirates’ flights to Damascus – a step that reflects the depth of cooperation between both sides and their shared commitment to strengthening fraternal and economic ties.”

Video of the Arrival of Emirates Flight EK913 Arriving in Damascus, Syria on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 - Courtesy Emirates

Emirates route between Dubai and Damascus will be serviced with a Boeing 777-200LR featuring 38 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 264 Economy Class seats.  Onboard, guests will enjoy an unmatched culinary experience, including mezze appetizers, followed by local and international dish choices.  Emirates’ in-flight dining is prepared by a team of chefs from all over the world, including Syrian hands.  The carrier’s signature mezze is prepared from a diverse spread of quality ingredients, many of which are Syrian products, such as tahini paste, red pepper paste, and olive oil.  As always, customers can enjoy Emirates’ award-winning ‘ice’ inflight entertainment system, with up to 6,500 channels of carefully curated entertainment content, including nearly 650 channels of Arabic content.

Source: Emirates