Erdogan Says Syrian Airlines Flights to Turkey to Resume ‘Soon’ Amid Warming Ties
Speaking further on Syria, Erdogan hinted at another potentially transformative initiative: “We will announce good energy news very soon,” he said, without elaborating.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Flights between Syria and Turkey could resume in the near future, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday, signaling a new phase in bilateral relations after years of hostility.
"Syrian Airlines will soon start flights to Turkey," Erdogan wrote in a post on X, without specifying a timeline. He also expressed hope that Turkey's budget carrier AJet would "hopefully be able to operate regular flights to Syria."
The statements, reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP), come amid a broader regional shift in approach toward Syria following a thaw in diplomatic ties and the easing of international sanctions.
AJet is a low-cost subsidiary of Turkish Airlines, which resumed flights to Damascus in January—just six weeks after the ousting of longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The return of Syrian Airlines—Syria’s national carrier formerly known as SyrianAir—would mark another milestone in Syria’s reintegration into the region after over a decade of war and economic isolation.
Western sanctions, imposed after the outbreak of Syria's civil war in 2011, had severely restricted the country’s aviation and financial sectors. However, the landscape has shifted significantly. In a key development last month, both Washington and Brussels eased some sanctions on Syria, enabling the country’s public and private sectors to reconnect with regional and international financial systems. The move is seen as a step toward fostering economic recovery and attracting foreign investment.
Speaking further on Syria, Erdogan hinted at another potentially transformative initiative: “We will announce good energy news very soon,” he said, without elaborating.
His remarks followed Syria's recent signing of a $7 billion energy deal with a consortium of Qatari, Turkish, and U.S. companies. The agreement includes plans for four gas-powered plants in central and eastern Syria, as well as a 1,000-megawatt solar farm in the country’s south, aiming to produce a total of 5,000 megawatts.
The warming of relations between Ankara and Damascus and the rekindling of aviation and energy ties could have significant implications for regional stability and economic recovery efforts in post-conflict Syria.
