ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is planning to start flights to Syria's Damascus in the coming days, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Thursday.

"We are planning a flight from Turkey (to Damascus) in the coming days ... When the connection from Damascus to Istanbul is established, we will have solved a great need. Our efforts continue on this issue," Uraloglu said.

In an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV, Uraloglu said the initial flights would be visually guided due to a lack of technology but regular flights connecting Istanbul to Damascus are planned after the radar system is operational at the airport.

(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Alison Williams)