Syrian Airlines restored direct regular service between Damascus and Moscow on Sunday, ending a suspension that lasted more than 18 months. Flight RB 442 from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport landed at Damascus International Airport as a return flight touched down in the Russian capital at 6:44 a.m. Moscow time. Direct scheduled routes between the two countries had been halted since December 8, 2024.
Sameh Orabi, deputy head of Syria's General Authority of Civil Aviation, said the restored link would benefit the Syrian community in Russia. Zaur Guseinov, charge d'affaires at the Russian embassy in Damascus, called the resumption a significant development. Omar al-Husri, head of the civil aviation authority, said Syrian Airlines was regaining its presence on the aviation map.
The route's return is part of a broader revival of air links to Syria. Sundair landed the first direct flight from Berlin to Damascus in roughly 14 years, while LEAV Aviation is set to begin weekly Cologne-to-Deir ez-Zor flights on September 1. Direct Berlin-Aleppo service is scheduled to launch on October 1.