The European Commission is launching a new Humanitarian Air Bridge operation for those most in need in Syria, to deliver emergency healthcare and other essential supplies, as well as increasing its humanitarian funding.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “The collapse of the Assad regime offers new hope for the Syrian people. But this moment of change also carries risks and brings hardship. With the situation on the ground so volatile, our help to the people of Syria is ever more important. This is why we have increased our humanitarian funding for this year, to more than €160 million. We are also launching a humanitarian air bridge carrying vital supplies, such as food, medicines and shelter items. I will be further discussing the delivery of humanitarian aid in my meeting with President Erdogan on Tuesday. We stand with the people of Syria.”

The EU-funded aid operation will deliver 50 tonnes of health supplies from stockpiles in Dubai to Adana, Türkiye, for cross-border distribution in the coming days. A further 46 tonnes of health, education and shelter items from another EU stockpile in Denmark will be trucked to Adana and provided to Unicef and the World Health Organisation for distribution within Syria.

The Commission has also mobilised an additional €4 million to address the most urgent humanitarian needs of people, bringing total humanitarian support to €163 million in 2024. This funding will enable EU humanitarian partners already active in Syria to scale up critical aid delivery. Key initiatives include providing trauma kits, filling healthcare facility gaps, distributing emergency shelter kits, enhancing sanitation, and delivering food parcels to 61,500 people in northern Syria.

Over the past 13 years, the EU and its Member States have mobilised more than €33.3 billion in humanitarian, development, economic and stabilisation assistance, supporting Syrians both inside the country and across the region. Fourteen years of war left people in Syria facing mass displacement, widespread food insecurity, crumbling infrastructure, economic decline, and preventable diseases. Despite many challenges, including the rapid changes in humanitarian access, the EU continues to provide impartial humanitarian aid to those in need across Syria.