By Mohammed Firas Al Dalati, Lisa Barrington, and Joanna Plucinska

DAMASCUS, July 16 (Reuters) - Poor infrastructure, conflict in the Middle East and occasional Israeli air strikes are hampering the return of more airlines to Syria, hampering efforts to rebuild an economy battered by nearly 14 years of civil war, aviation officials told Reuters.

At least 11 foreign airlines are scheduled to operate flights to Syria this month, up from just three a year ago, as sanctions were eased following the December 2024 ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

These include Emirates, the world's largest international carrier, and the first two EU-based airlines to fly to Syria since 2011: Romania's Danair and Greece's Air Mediterranee.

But last month, airlines such as Royal Jordanian, flydubai, Turkish Airlines, and Qatar Airways were forced to cancel several recently launched flights as airspace across the Middle East was closed to civilian air traffic due to an exchange of air and missile attacks between Israel and Iran, in which the United States participated.

There are also more immediate risks to Syria itself, as Israel launched attacks against Syrian government forces in the southwest of the country on Tuesday for the second consecutive day, vowing to maintain a demilitarized zone and protect the Druze minority there.

Airlines are also concerned about the state of aviation infrastructure and the way the sector is managed in Syria.

“There is a need to make progress in regulatory oversight, investment in infrastructure, and compliance with international safety and operational standards,” the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.

Officials at Damascus airport and the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority told Reuters that representatives from major airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France-KLM visited Damascus airport to assess the infrastructure and offices there. Both airlines operated flights to Syria before the war.

The two companies told Reuters they are not currently interested in resuming flights to Syria.

Romanian airline Danair began operating flights from Bucharest to Damascus last month.

"Logistics and regulatory complexities have held operators back so far," DanAir CEO Matt Ian David told Reuters, adding that the easing of sanctions would make access to Syria easier.

At the end of May, Emirates resumed flights over Syria for the first time since the civil war, saving an hour on the flight time from Dubai to Beirut.

However, many countries, including the UK and the US, have continued to advise their airlines to avoid flying over Syria. The European Aviation Safety Agency says there is a risk of civilian aircraft being targeted, either intentionally or due to misidentification.

The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority said the country fully reopened its airspace on June 24.

The runways at Damascus Airport were bombed during the civil war but have since been repaired. The airport was also looted during the chaos surrounding Assad's fall.

Alaa Salal, director of public relations at the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority, told Reuters that several airlines are inspecting security procedures and the state of infrastructure at the airport.

Salal added that the airport's infrastructure was dilapidated, the equipment was outdated and some of it was missing.

He pointed to the lack of radar equipment, which forced the country to rely on radars from Lebanon or Türkiye to monitor air traffic.

The head of Syria's General Authority of Civil Aviation said earlier this month that the authority wants to build new airports in Damascus, Aleppo, and the center of the country. But this will take time and require funding that the war-weary country may not be able to secure on its own.

* New airlines

Airlines that served Syria during its long conflict, mostly Iranian and Iraqi, have largely stopped flying there, reflecting the new political landscape after the ouster of Assad, who was backed by Iran and Russia.

In contrast, the national carriers of Qatar and Turkey, which supported the armed opposition in Syria during the war, were among the first major airlines to resume flights in January when Ahmed al-Sharaa assumed leadership of the new government.

The Turkish Ministry of Transport said that Türkiye, a close ally of the new government, is helping to develop Syria's airports.

Emirates, which resumed flights between Dubai and Damascus on Wednesday for the first time since 2012, said the flights would strengthen ties with the UAE and help Syria attract investment.

Saudi Arabia's low-cost carrier Flyadeal has expressed its desire to begin operating flights to Syria soon, joining fellow low-cost carrier Flynas.

But for other companies, the incentive to return may be less. Even before the war, Syria was not a major market for airlines outside the Middle East.

Among the companies that operated there but have not yet returned are Aeroflot, Air France, Lufthansa's Austrian Airlines, Poland's LOT, IAG's Iberia, Italy's ETA, Czech Airlines, and China Southern Airlines.

Despite the recent increase in flights serving Syria, their number remains significantly lower than before the war. Data from Cirium, an aviation data and analytics company, showed that the number of scheduled flights in July was 58 percent of what it was in July 2010.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the easing of sanctions has opened up opportunities for improved access to aircraft spare parts, maintenance services, and some commercial transactions. However, visa restrictions on Syrians have limited passenger traffic and market growth.

(Sulaiman Al-Khalidi from Jordan contributed to the reporting. - Prepared by Al-Shaima Saad and Marwa Gharib for the Arabic bulletin. - Edited by Salma Najm.)