UAE resumes direct flights to Syria following Al-Sharaa visit to Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates has announced the resumption of direct flights to Syria after interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa met with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed at Qasr al-Shati.

In a statement released late Monday by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority, authorities confirmed that both sides are working closely to finalise technical and logistical steps to fully restore commercial air travel.

The resumption follows a temporary reactivation of flights earlier this year. On 7 January, the first commercial plane took off from Damascus International Airport to Sharjah, marking the symbolic return of Syrian civil aviation links following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. However, those flights were later suspended.

At the meeting in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh bin Zayed Al Nahyan "affirmed the UAE's keenness to support Syria to confront the challenges of the transitional phase and rebuild Syria", the official WAM news agency reported.

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, who was with al-Sharaa on the visit, said after the meetings that "significant achievements have been made today". In a post on the X platform, Shaibani highlighted "the areas of investment, the resumption of air traffic, and the strengthening of bilateral relations in all sectors."

The interim president's visit to the UAE marks his third to an Arab country since taking office in January 2025. It follows diplomatic stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan and comes after two high-profile meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this year.

Syria's Foreign Minister, Assad Al-Shibani, who accompanied al-Sharaa on the visit, described the visit as "historic". In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said: "Under the leadership of President Ahmad Sharaa, great achievements have been made today in the UAE, particularly in the fields of investment, aviation, and strengthening bilateral ties."

UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargas halo wrote: "I was honoured to attend the meeting between His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and His Excellency President Ahmad al-Sharaa. A successful meeting by all measures."

The decision to resume air travel is seen as a symbolic and practical step forward in re-establishing full diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries, as Damascus seeks deeper reintegration into the Arab world following more than a decade of conflict and isolation.

In January, Damascus airport resumed international flights after commercial trips were halted after Assad’s ousting. Since then, Arab countries announced the reopening of aerial links to the Syrian capital – including Qatar, Libya and Turkey.