SunExpress Establishes New Flight Routes Linking Turkey and Syria’s Aleppo
In a significant stride towards the recovery of Syria’s tourism and aviation sectors, the Turkish-German carrier SunExpress — a collaboration between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa — initiated its first commercial flights from Antalya, Turkey to Aleppo, Syria on August 1, 2026. This bi-weekly service, operating on Wednesdays and Saturdays, employs a Boeing 737-800 aircraft for the 585-kilometre journey. A subsequent route from Izmir to Aleppo was introduced the following day.
The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority praised this launch as “a new step toward restoring regular air traffic” between the two countries. They emphasized that this route aligns with the larger initiatives to enhance Syria’s air connectivity and bolster both tourism and economic activities. Aleppo, one of the cities most severely affected by Syria’s civil war, saw its international airport receive its first commercial flight in March 2025, post the fall of the Assad regime.
However, SunExpress is not the only airline rediscovering Syria. On the same day, Saudi carrier flynas commenced service from Riyadh, and LEAV Aviation initiated charter operations from Cologne. Presently, over a dozen airlines serve Aleppo, primarily from the Middle East. Romania’s Dan Air notably became the first European carrier to initiate flights to the Syrian city. This expanding network indicates a renewed global confidence in Syria as an emerging travel destination.
Source: Air Service One – New Route of the Day (1 August 2026): SunExpress between Antalya and Aleppo