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Cologne to Deir ez-Zor
Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport announced the launch of the first direct and regular flights between Cologne, Germany, and Deir ez-Zor International Airport at the beginning of September, with German carrier LEAV Aviation to begin operating from September 1 at a rate of one flight per week.
“will begin operating its first flights starting from September 1 of the coming month, at a rate of one flight per week”
Al-Jazeera Net reported that Omar Al-Hosary said the route “will begin operating its first flights starting from September 1 of the coming month, at a rate of one flight per week,” framing it as part of a plan to connect Deir ez-Zor with Europe.
CNN al-iqtisadiyya said the same route would mark “the first time in the history of Deir ez-Zor International Airport’s commercial operation that a European airline has operated a regular flight there,” and added that Lift Aviation would expand its direct network to include Damascus, Aleppo, and Deir ez-Zor.
The announcement was tied to government efforts to upgrade services in an area that has suffered decades of neglect, and Al-Jazeera Net said the airport inauguration included a speech via video conference on August 5.
Al-Jazeera Net also reported that the Deir ez-Zor–Damascus road project was announced with an estimated cost of between $275 and $300 million after traffic accidents, with the latest on July 25 claiming 35 lives and leaving 30 others injured, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health.
Officials and airline messaging
In statements carried by SANA and repeated by multiple outlets, Omar Al-Hosary described the Cologne–Deir ez-Zor line as strengthening Syria’s presence on the international air transport map and opening more destinations for residents of the eastern region.
SANA was cited by TRT World in reporting that Omar al-Husari announced on Friday that LEAV Aviation would begin direct scheduled flights between Cologne and Deir ez-Zor on September 1, operating one flight per week.
TRT World also said the new route followed the resumption of flights between Berlin and Damascus, after a nearly 14-year hiatus, with a first direct flight from Berlin to Damascus operated by German carrier Sundair.
In SANA coverage reproduced by سانا, Omar Hosari said the resumption would facilitate travel for Syrians living in Germany and signal the return of European airlines to the Syrian market, adding, “We are working to rebuild Syria’s air connectivity network gradually and in a well-planned manner.”
سانا further stated that weekly direct flights between Cologne and Deir ez-Zor, operated by German carrier LEAV Aviation, would begin on September 1, and that Syria and Germany signed a final air transport agreement at the Conference Palace in Damascus on July 16.
Broader network and next steps
The Cologne–Deir ez-Zor announcement sits alongside other reported moves to restore and expand Syria’s air links, including the resumption of Syrian Airlines flights from Moscow to Damascus after more than a year and a half of suspension.
“flight RB 442 at Damascus Airport, coming from Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow”
Al-Jazirah Net reported that Syrian Airlines’ first flights arrived at Damascus International Airport from Moscow on Sunday, with a Syria Now correspondent observing a landing on flight RB 442 from Sheremetyevo Airport, and it said air travel between Russia and Syria had stopped on December 8, 2024, according to TASS.
Anadolu Ajansı said the first flights arrived after more than a year and a half of suspension, and quoted SANA’s Omar Al-Khassari saying Syrian Airlines has practically begun to “reassert its presence on the regional and international flight map.”
Anadolu Ajansı also reported that the General Authority of Civil Aviation announced in May that the number of companies resuming flights to and from Syria had risen to 12, and it linked the shift to years of sharp decline in air traffic over Syria that began gradually in 2012.
Al-Jazirah Net added that the authority said it is working on a comprehensive plan to reconnect Syria with the world, open more direct destinations, and provide broader travel options for citizens, with plans to launch flights to “new European destinations” to be announced successively.
