DAMASCUS: Damascus International Airport is preparing to receive the first direct flight operated by German airline Sundair from Berlin on Saturday, marking a new step toward restoring regular direct air connectivity between the Syrian and German capitals.

Omar Hosari, head of the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport, said in a post on X that the launch of the route is part of the authority’s efforts to reconnect Syrian airports with European destinations and expand Syria’s international air transport network.

He added that the new route will facilitate passenger travel, particularly for the Syrian community in Germany, while supporting tourism, economic exchange and broader ties between the two countries.

The route is part of efforts to restore direct connections between Syria and European destinations, and expand the range of international flights operating to and from Syrian airports.

Earlier on Friday, Hosari said that the first regular direct flights between Germany’s Cologne and Deir Ezzor are scheduled to begin on Sept. 1, with German airline LEAV Aviation scheduled to operate its first flight at a rate of one per week.