How to get to Qamishli and Hasakah: airport status and the road east

Today you cannot fly to Qamishli and Hasakah; you go by road. Qamishli airport is under repair and, as of mid-September 2026, has no opening date. Since March 2026, buses from Damascus have run via Deir ez-Zor. The administrative situation in the region changed in 2026 and roads reopened, but floods and protest road blocks still affect travel from day to day. This page answers three questions with dates: are there flights, which road route is used, and why might the road be closed. The state of the crossings for travellers from Iraq or Turkey is further down.

Can you fly there?

Not as of mid-September 2026. The civil aviation authority took over the management of Qamishli airport on 21 February 2026, and repairs began on 25 February 2026. On 20 August 2026 SANA, the state news agency, reported that about 80 percent of the work was done and that a trial operation would follow a technical assessment. A report dated 7 September 2026 said the repairs had reached their final stage and that the aim was to return the airport to service “as soon as possible”; no date was given.

Beware of old information: until November 2024 Syrian Air and Cham Wings flew between Qamishli and Damascus. Those flights no longer exist, and schedules in older guidebooks or on booking sites are not valid.

Today the nearest scheduled landing is Deir ez-Zor. Its airport opened on 5 August 2026 and has a domestic service from Damascus; from there you continue to Hasakah by road. Details are on the page about how to get to Deir ez-Zor.

Which road route?

A ceasefire and integration agreement was signed in January 2026. According to a Kurdistan24 report of 22 February 2026, all the main roads in Hasakah reopened. Since March 2026, Hasakah–Damascus bus services have run via Deir ez-Zor. On 20 August 2026 the administrative integration was completed and checkpoints in the region came under a single administration.

Travellers from Damascus therefore take the desert road as far as Deir ez-Zor first; the state of that section, the single-lane road and the bus crash of July 2026 are covered on the Deir ez-Zor page. Hasakah and Qamishli are 87 kilometres apart.

This page does not give a ticket price. A new fare for the Qamishli–Damascus line was announced in June 2026, but after two zeros were removed from the currency in January 2026 it is unclear which unit the announced figure used. After the fuel price rise of 13 September 2026 fares are changing again, so ask at the garage.

Coming from Iraq or Turkey

Two crossings lead into the region from Iraq: Semalka and Rabia–Al-Yarubiyah. According to reports in July 2026, the Semalka crossing gained official status and a visa issued there was said to be valid for the whole of Syria. How the crossings currently work is on the page about crossing from Iraq to Syria.

On the Turkish side, reports that the Nusaybin–Qamishli crossing had opened were denied by the Syrian government in April 2026. As of September 2026 there is no source showing the crossing is open to travellers; the crossings in use from Turkey are on the page about entering Syria from Turkey.

Why the road gets blocked

Two different things close roads in the region, and both happened in 2026.

• Floods: in March 2026 the Khabur river flooded and closed the M4 between Tell Tamer and Hasakah. The road reopened in April 2026.
• Protests: in June, July and September 2026 roads were blocked near Tell Tamer, Safiya and Qamishli. The latest was on 13 September 2026, against the fuel price rise, when the M4 near Tell Tamer and the Qamishli road were cut.

There is no telling in advance when a block will lift. Ask the evening before whether your route is open, and travel even the short stretch between Hasakah and Qamishli by day.

Final checks before you go

• Flights: look for an opening announcement for Qamishli; otherwise fly to Deir ez-Zor.
• Bus: confirm at the garage that the Damascus line goes via Deir ez-Zor, and check the time.
• Route: ask the evening before about road blocks or flooding.
• Crossings: do not plan on Nusaybin; if you are coming from Iraq, check the current status of Semalka or Rabia.