Romania’s aviation gamble could reshape the nation’s global standing
When Romania’s Dan Air announced the launch of flights from the EU to Syria last week, it raised more than a few eyebrows in aviation circles. While technically open, Syrian airspace remains off limits for most European carriers. The memory of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, downed over Ukraine in 2014, still lingers as a sobering reminder of what can go wrong when commercial aviation crosses into contested skies. Syria’s civil war might be over but Germany, France, the UK and others continue to prohibit flights in the country’s airspace.
Re-engaging with conflict zones is fraught with difficulty. Beyond the obvious security concerns, flying through or into high-risk regions drives up insurance premiums, exposes airlines to legal and diplomatic entanglements and requires dealing with the growing threat of GPS jamming. Regulatory bodies such as the EU Aviation Safety Agency and the US’s Federal Aviation Administration frequently issue restrictive advisories, rendering operations in such zones both bureaucratically complex and reputationally risky. This, in turn, has opened up a niche for smaller, agile players willing to take calculated risks, such as Dan Air.
Founded in 2017 by Romanian pilot Dan Iuhas, the airline has built its business operating on behalf of larger carriers, such as Transavia, TUI and Wizz Air. In recent years, however, it has shown a growing appetite for complexity. When Romania’s flag carrier, Tarom, suspended flights to Tel Aviv following the 2023 Hamas attacks, Dan Air stepped in to operate more than a dozen rescue flights for EU citizens. The airline also briefly pursued a partnership with Fly Baghdad – blacklisted in the EU – and even offered to support the Iraqi carrier in meeting European regulatory standards. The deal collapsed after Fly Baghdad’s CEO was sanctioned for alleged ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Now the Romanian carrier is turning its focus to Syria. Its CEO, Matt Ian David, says that the decision to offer a connection between the EU and Damascus was driven by the belief that aviation should “connect, not isolate”. Beyond the rhetoric, the numbers are persuasive. Germany is home to nearly 1.3 million people of Syrian origin; Sweden counts a further 250,000. With few efficient alternatives, Dan Air’s services from Berlin, Frankfurt and Stockholm (with a brief stop in Bucharest) promise to cut travel times by as many as 10 hours and serve a community with deep transnational ties. It’s a commercial gamble but a carefully considered one.
Dan Air isn’t the first to return to Syrian skies. Qatar Airways quietly resumed flights to Damascus in January just weeks after Bashar al-Assad fled the country, swiftly followed by Turkish Airlines. But these are not conventional competitors. Qatar Airways is a linchpin of Doha’s soft-power strategy, while Turkish Airlines functions as a diplomatic tool of Ankara, expanding into regions aligned with Turkish foreign interests. Both benefit from access to state-level intelligence and looser regulatory constraints – luxuries that Western carriers generally don’t enjoy.
Romania, it appears, is adopting a similar posture. The new flights were only made possible due to a bilateral agreement between Bucharest and Damascus – more a political signal than commercial formality. By restoring direct air links, Bucharest not only deepens its ties with Syria but also signals a willingness to engage in regional stabilisation, positioning itself as a nimble diplomatic actor in an increasingly multipolar Middle East. The move might yet amplify Romania’s voice in Brussels and offer greater visibility in shaping the EU’s future foreign policy in the region. It’s a model that others should follow.
For Dan Air, the Syria launch is a bold and potentially shrewd move. In a region where connectivity often serves as a shorthand for co-operation, being first counts. By stepping in, Dan Air isn’t merely filling a gap in the market; it’s positioning Romania at the centre of a broader re-engagement with the region. That gives the country not only a commercial advantage but also a soft-power edge. Whether driven by strategic calculation, diplomatic ambition or commercial acumen, Romania’s leap might prove to be more than just a new flight path.
Siebeck is Monocle’s Frankfurt correspondent.
