April Rebound
The number of aircraft transiting Syrian airspace climbed to 2,523 in April 2026, up from just 32 in March, according to figures from the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport. The March slump followed an airspace closure tied to regional tensions, and April marked the first full month of largely normal overflight operations after that pause.
Below Pre-Tension Levels
The latest count remains well short of earlier 2026 traffic. Transit flights had reached 4,267 in February 2026 and 5,244 in January, before regional tensions forced the closure. The numbers point to a gradual recovery rather than a full return to recent levels, with April volumes coming in at roughly half of January's monthly total.
Airports and Airlines Reopen
The head of the authority, Omar Al-Hassari, said Damascus International and Aleppo International airports are seeing a steady return of carriers, with 12 international airlines having resumed operations by early May 2026. He framed the recovery as the result of broader regional easing and a rebuilding of operational confidence at Syrian airports.
Path to European Flights
Al-Hassari said current efforts are focused on resuming flights to Europe, in coordination with international aviation safety bodies tasked with reassessing Syrian airports against global standards. The work, he indicated, is meant to align international assessments with the operational reality on the ground.
Geography as Leverage
The official also highlighted Syria's position as a corridor between East and West, arguing that the country's geography gives it a structural role in regional aviation once safety benchmarks are cleared. He projected that transit operations would continue rising in the coming months as regional conditions stabilise and international confidence is restored.
Long Road Ahead
The April figure represents a roughly 79-fold increase over March, but still leaves the sector well below the more than five thousand transit flights logged in January 2026. The authority's framing places the rebound on a continuing trajectory rather than a finished recovery, with reopened European routes and a fuller return of foreign carriers as the next markers to watch.