SunExpress Starts Damascus Flights From Antalya and Izmir

SunExpress has started direct flights to Damascus from two Turkish cities, adding the Syrian capital to its 2026–27 winter schedule. The first Antalya–Damascus flight operated on Thursday, November 12, 2026, and the Izmir–Damascus service began on Friday, November 13. Each route runs twice a week, four flights in total.

The operating days split cleanly. Antalya departures run on Thursdays and Saturdays, and Izmir departures run on Wednesdays and Fridays. SunExpress is a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, founded in 1989, and it's also keeping its Izmir–Aleppo winter service running alongside the new Damascus routes.

Damascus picked up a third new link the same week. Syrian Airlines operated its first direct flight from Munich to Damascus on November 12, the same day the Antalya service started. The Munich announcement didn't specify operating days or a weekly frequency, so that schedule is the airline's to confirm.

The practical details start at the check-in counter. SunExpress's travel-update information, dated November 3, 2026, says passengers departing Damascus International Airport must visit the airport check-in counter before departure. Travelers on these routes shouldn't plan on a fully digital departure out of Damascus.

The warnings haven't moved with the timetable. The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office maintained its advice against all travel to Syria on November 13, 2026. The U.S. Department of State also maintains a Level 4 advisory for Syria, its highest level, citing terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, hostage-taking, crime and armed conflict.

That's the whole picture a booking screen won't show. A route launch is an airline's commercial decision, and four weekly flights now exist where none did last week. The government advice attached to the destination is unchanged, and it belongs in the same breath as the schedule.