Aegean Airlines will launch flights to Damascus International Airport on 2 December, marking the Greek carrier's entry into Syria and its first capacity expansion into the Middle East since it pulled regional services earlier this year.

The Athens-based operator will fly the Damascus route up to four times weekly, according to the airline. The Syrian destination follows the resumption of Dubai services on 23 October.

The expansion reverses a retreat Aegean made earlier this year, when it cut capacity from its Middle Eastern network after military strikes by the USA and Israel on Iran in February.

Where is Aegean heading next?

The Damascus and Dubai routes are not the end of the plan. Aegean is evaluating further network growth into North Africa and intends to start services to Tripoli and Benghazi in Libya in May 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.

The timing is notable. Aegean is redeploying into the region while other European carriers step back. Central European budget operator Wizz Air recently postponed its planned return to Abu Dhabi and suspended flights to Jordan after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency updated its conflict-zone security advisories.

Aegean's move also comes against elevated jet fuel prices and continued geopolitical volatility across the region — conditions that already forced the carrier to adopt a more cautious approach to capacity growth for the second half of 2026.

What do the numbers say about capacity restraint?

The airline previously guided for available seat kilometres to grow 7-9% this year. It reduced those projections after reporting a first-half net loss of €3.3 million ($3.8 million).

The financial pressure has a direct fleet consequence: Aegean is accelerating the retirement of older, less fuel-efficient aircraft.

How does the A320neo fleet picture shape the network?

The operational backdrop for Aegean's expansion is improving on the engine front. The carrier passed a peak of 14-15 grounded Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered Airbus A320neo-family aircraft in March and April 2026, cut groundings to 10 during the summer, and expects zero grounded aircraft by the end of 2027.

Deliveries of five A321neos in the first half of 2026 brought the carrier's A320neo-family fleet to 43 jets. That delivery pace allowed Aegean to speed up retirements of older generation aircraft.

Longer-range A321LR variants are due from early 2027, which Aegean plans to use for product upgrades on higher-yield routes.

The combination of recovering GTF availability and incoming A321LR range gives Aegean flexibility its Middle East retreat earlier this year did not allow. If the Libya approvals come through and groundings continue to fall as projected, the carrier will enter summer 2027 with more operational headroom and a wider network than it has operated at any point since the February strikes upended its regional planning.