Aegean Airlines to start Damascus flights and restart Dubai service

Aegean Airlines will start serving Damascus International airport on 2 December, with up to four weekly frequencies planned. The Athens-based carrier also restarts its Dubai service on 23 October.

Both moves mark a renewed push into the Middle East. Aegean had cut capacity from its regional network earlier this year, after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Outside the Middle East, the airline is studying growth in North Africa. It intends to add Tripoli and Benghazi in Libya in May 2027, if regulators approve.

The expansion comes amid continued political instability in the region and high jet fuel prices, which pushed Aegean toward a more restrained capacity plan for the second half of 2026. The carrier had forecast growth of 7-9% in available seat kilometres for the year, then lowered that figure after a first-half net loss of €3.3 million ($3.8 million).

Other European airlines have been slower to return to Middle Eastern markets. Wizz Air has pushed back planned resumptions to Abu Dhabi and halted flights to Jordan after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued updated conflict zone security advisories.

Aegean's network decisions come as the situation around its Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered Airbus A320neo-family fleet improves. Groundings peaked at 14-15 aircraft in March and April 2026, fell to 10 over the summer, and the airline expects none by the end of 2027.

Five A321neos were delivered in the first half of 2026, taking the fleet of A320neo-family jets to 43.