Damascus International Airport

History

Establishment and early years

In 1965 the construction of the airport was entrusted to a group of French companies (SCB, CSF, Spie and Cegelec), led by the SCB. Damascus Airport was opened in the late 1960s, replacing the old Mazzeh military airport that previously served as the city's main aviation hub. The airport was built to accommodate the growing air traffic and to enhance Syria's connectivity with the rest of the world. In the 1980s, the airport was served by over 30 airlines and had nonstop flights to destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. It was also a stop-over on a Pakistan International Airlines route from Karachi and Islamabad to New York and Toronto.

In the following years, Damascus Airport underwent several expansion and modernisation projects in order to meet the increasing demands of international and domestic travellers. New terminals, runways, and facilities were constructed to enhance passenger services and improve operational efficiency. In March 2007, Iran Air inaugurated a flight from Tehran to Caracas via Damascus. Its codeshare partner Conviasa took over the route seven months later.

Civil war

Since the onset of the Syrian civil war, the airport and the road leading to the entry of it have been closed intermittently and most international airlines, such as Emirates and EgyptAir, have ceased flights. Conviasa ended its direct service to Caracas in August 2012. In 2018, flights to Russia started.

In June 2022, Damascus International Airport suffered major damage, including to runways, following an Israeli missile attack, targeting alleged Iranian weapons transfers. Flights were halted to and from the airport for two weeks due to the extensive damage to infrastructure. On 2 January 2023, Damascus International Airport temporarily went out of service after another Israeli missile strike, which killed at least 2 soldiers, before returning to operation 7 hours later after the damage was repaired. It is announced that Syrian Airlines plans to establish a joint venture with a private company to invest, manage, and operate its activities and those of the airport.

On 12 October 2023, Damascus International Airport was temporarily closed due to a damaged runway following Israeli missile attacks on both it and Aleppo International Airport, during the skirmishes which occurred across the border in connection with the Gaza war. The airport was put back into service on 18 October. On 22 October, both Aleppo and Damascus airports were hit simultaneously, putting them out of service for the second time within two weeks. Two workers were killed during the attack. On 26 November 2023, hours after the airport was put back into service from the previous attack, Israel targeted the airport with missiles, causing material losses and putting the airport out of service again.

Post-Assad regime

The airport was closed during the opposition offensive on Damascus on 8 December 2024. On 18 December 2024, commercial operations resumed with the first flight taking off with 32 passengers heading to Aleppo. On 4 January 2025, the Syrian transitional government announced that international flights would resume from 7 January, for the first time since the fall of the Assad regime. Services would later resume on 7 January, with the arrival of a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. Flights to most destinations remain suspended.

On February 2025, with the help of the Turkish government, the airport began its renovation. The General Authority of Civil Aviation signed a $4 billion investment to refurbish the airport, including the construction of a new 5-star hotel.

Facilities

Terminals

The airport is of Islamic architecture, and has two terminals, one for international flights and the other for domestic flights. The airport features two duty-free outlets. The departures hall also includes an in-house coffee shop, several souvenir shops, three restaurants, and a lounge for first and business class passengers. The southern part of the airport has hardened aircraft shelters and artillery revetments. The second terminal have a capacity to handle 25 million passengers.

On 4 August 2025, Syria and Qatar signed a USD 4 billion agreement for the construction of a third passenger terminal. The project is funded by Qatar's UCC Holding and aims to expand the airport's capacity and modernize its infrastructure. Its geometrical shape takes inspiration from the Damascus sword. Terminal 3 will be built adjacent to the current Terminal 1, utilizing the existing runway and apron infrastructure.

The third terminal is intended to increase the capacity of the airport to 31 million passengers per year.

Runways

The current runways allow the landing of virtually all types of aircraft currently in use (including Airbus A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 747-8). The airport has two parallel runways (05R/23L and 05L/23R), both 3600 m in length, which were completely renovated in the 2010s.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Damascus:

| Afriqiyah Airways | Tripoli-Mitiga | Air Arabia | Abu Dhabi, Sharjah | Air Mediterranean | Athens | AJet | Ankara, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen | Dan Air | Bucharest–Otopeni | Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi (begins 12 June 2026) | Flyadeal | Jeddah, Riyadh | Fly Cham | Abu Dhabi, Adana/Mersin, Baghdad, Dubai–International, Erbil, Kuwait City, Muscat, Sharjah | Flydubai | Dubai–International | Flynas | Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh | Jazeera Airways | Kuwait City | Qatar Airways | Doha | Royal Jordanian | Amman–Queen Alia | SalamAir | Muscat (begins 2 May 2026) | Syrian Air | Abu Dhabi, Benghazi, Dammam, Doha, Dubai–International, Istanbul, Jeddah, Kuwait City, Riyadh, Sharjah, Tripoli–Mitiga | Turkish Airlines | Istanbul

Ground transportation

Motorway

Located 30 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Damascus, the airport is in the governate of Rif Dimashq. The facility is connected to the city by the M5 motorway.

Bus

A shuttle bus runs between the city center and the airport. The bus ride takes approximately 30 minutes.

Royal Jordanian operates ground bus services from Damascus International Airport to Amman's Queen Alia International Airport

Railway

The building of a railway line and a terminal bus station with a shopping center at the airport is planned to connect it to the Hejaz station.

Accidents and incidents

• On 20 August 1975, ČSA Flight 540 crashed while on approach to Damascus International Airport. Out of the 128 passengers and crew on board, there were only two survivors.
• On 20 September 2012, Syrian Arab Airlines Flight 501, operated by an Airbus A320-232, was struck by a Syrian Air Force Mil Mi-17 helicopter, with the helicopter's rotor removing half of the airliner's vertical tail. The airliner successfully landed back at the airport, while the helicopter crashed, killing four crew members.

References

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