Romania’s Dan Air Adds Aleppo, Syria, To Its Route Map

Romania-based Dan Air has added another Syrian destination to its route map, namely Aleppo International Airport (ALP). Since the fall of the al-Assad rule in Syria, which spanned from 1971 to 2025 at the hands of Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad, airlines have slowly added services to the war-torn country.

Dan Air, which has been flying from Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) to Damascus International Airport (DAM) since June 15, 2025, will begin its non-stop flights to ALP on September 25, 2025. The twice-weekly itineraries will depart on Thursdays and Sundays, with flight DN551 departing OTP at 11:40 local time (UTC +3) and arriving at ALP at 14:20 local time (UTC +3) following a two-hour and 40-minute flight.

The return itinerary, flight DN552, departs ALP at 15:10 and arrives at OTP 17:40, according to the airline’s booking engine. The development was also reported by the Romanian outlet BoardingPass.

On August 31, 2025, Dan Air shared that it became the first European airline to launch flights to Syria, noting that what had made the first flight unforgettable “were the people on board, [with] each passenger carrying with them stories, hopes, and the courage to believe in new beginnings.”

When the Romanian carrier announced its intentions to serve DAM from OTP in May 2025, it said that it would be the first airline from the European Union (EU) to offer a direct flight between the bloc and Syria, providing onward trips to other European cities.

At the time, Matt Ian David, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dan Air, said that aviation should connect, and not isolate, noting that Syria has “a real need for connectivity, and we chose to respond with professionalism and responsibility.” David added that the airline operates flights to DAM fully compliant with international safety and security standards.

The Romanian carrier’s website showed that, in addition to the two Syrian airports, the only destinations bookable from OTP are to Dublin Airport (DUB), Ibiza Airport (IBZ), Larnaca International Airport (LCA), and Valencia Airport (VLC).

Planespotters.net records showed that Dan Air has three Airbus A320ceo family aircraft: one A319ceo, registered as YR-URS, previously operated by Air Astana, and two A320ceos, registered as YR-DSE and YR-JUL. The former was originally delivered to Spain-based Spanair in 2005, while the latter, which was used on the inaugural journey to DAM on June 15, 2025, was originally operated by IndiGo from 2009 to 2020 until it was acquired by Dan Air in April 2023.

In addition to Dan Air, several other international airlines, which offer one-stop connections from/to Europe, have also returned to Syria since the fall of the al-Assad dictatorship. According to Flightradar24, international airlines such as Air Arabia, AJet, Emirates, flydubai, flynas, Jazeera Airways, Royal Jordanian, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines have launched – or relaunched – flights from DAM and/or ALP to their respective hubs.

Syrian Air, the nation’s flag carrier, has also scheduled flights to airports across the Middle East.

The airline, as well as the country’s main hub, DAM, should get a further boost following an investment deal between Syria and a five-company consortium, led by Qatar-based UCC Holding. The $4 billion project will focus on the redevelopment and expansion of the Syrian capital’s airport, with the sum including $250 million “in financing to purchase up to 10 Airbus A320 aircraft for Syrian Airlines, aimed at enhancing the fleet and increasing the competitiveness of the national carrier.”

Syria, led by Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the President of the country, and UCC Holding recently signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the $4 billion investment, with the Qatari company announcing the MoU on August 6, 2025.