German airline SUNDAIR has launched a new nonstop service between Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) and Damascus, restoring direct flights between the German capital region and Syria for the first time since 2011.
The route begins on 15 August and will operate twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, following a new bilateral air transport agreement concluded between Germany and Syria in mid-July.
Flights depart Berlin at 11:00, arriving in Damascus at 16:05 local time. The return service leaves the Syrian capital at 17:05 and arrives at BER at 20:30. SUNDAIR will operate the route with a 180-seat Airbus A320, with a flight time of around four hours.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport said the service would particularly benefit the large Syrian community in Germany, providing a direct option for passengers visiting friends and relatives while complementing BER’s existing Middle East network.
SUNDAIR Managing Director Marcos Rossello described the route as a symbol of closer relations between Germany and Syria and said it would support personal, economic and humanitarian links between the two countries. The Syrian Embassy in Berlin also welcomed the restoration of direct air connectivity.
The launch comes amid a broader restoration of air links between Europe and Syria. It follows the recent announcement by Cologne-based LEAV Aviation of twice-weekly flights between Cologne/Bonn and Aleppo.
SUNDAIR operates a small fleet comprising three Airbus A320s and one A319. Its Berlin network combines leisure destinations in the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Red Sea with routes serving visiting-friends-and-relatives traffic, including Beirut and now Damascus.