Damascus International Airport Explained

Damascus International Airport
Nativename-R:Maṭār Dimašq al-Duwaliyy
Image2-Width:250
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Wikidata:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:9
Iata:DAM
Icao:OSDI
Type:Joint
(civil and military air base)
Owner:Government of Syria
Operator:Directorate General of Civil Aviation
Opened:[1]
City-Served:Damascus, Syria
Hub:
Elevation-F:2020
Elevation-M:616
Timezone:AST
Metric-Elev:616
Metric-Rwy:3,600
R1-Number:05R/23L
R1-Length-F:11,811
R1-Length-M:3,600
R1-Surface:Asphalt
R2-Number:05L/23R
R2-Length-F:11,804
R2-Length-M:3,598
R2-Surface:Asphalt
Stat-Year:2010
Stat1-Header:Passengers
Stat1-Data:5,500,000(50.1%)
Built:1965

Damascus International Airport (Arabic: مَطَار دِمَشْق الدَّوْلِيّ|Maṭār Dimašq ad-Duwaliyy) is the international airport of Damascus, the capital of Syria. Inaugurated in the mid-1970s, it also was the country's busiest airport. In 2010, an estimated 5.5 million passengers used the airport, an increase of more than 50% since 2004.[2] The ongoing civil war has caused many airlines to terminate their flights to and from Damascus, cutting much of the city's population off from international flights.

The airport has also been previously damaged many times in airstrikes carried out by the Israel Air Force. Damascus International Airport serves as a primary gateway to Syria and is one of the largest airports in the country along with Aleppo International Airport and Bassel Al-Assad 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.[3] 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.[4] It was also a stop-over on a Pakistan International Airlines route from Karachi and Islamabad to New York and Toronto.[5]

In the following years, Damascus Airport underwent several expansion and modernisation projects in order to meet the increasing demands of international and domestic travellers.[6] 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.[7] Its codeshare partner Conviasa took over the route seven months later.[8] [9]

Civil war: 2011–present

Since the onset of the Syrian Civil War, the airport and the road leading to it have been closed intermittently and most international airlines, such as Emirates and EgyptAir, have ceased flights.[10] Conviasa ended its direct service to Caracas in August 2012.[11] 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.[12] [13] Flights were halted to and from the airport for two weeks due to the extensive damage to infrastructure.[14] On 2 January 2023, Damascus International Airport temporarily went out of service after another Israeli missile strike.[15] The airport reopened after 7 hours and restarted services.[16] 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.[17]

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 Israel–Hamas war.[18] The airport was put back into service on 18 October.[19] On 22 October, both Aleppo and Damascus airports were hit simultaneously, putting them out of service for the second time within two weeks.[20] Two workers were killed during the attack.[21]

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.[22] The southern part of the airport has hardened aircraft shelters and artillery revetments.[23] The second terminal have a capacity to handle 25 million passengers.[24]

The construction of a third terminal is planned but its construction has been postponed due to the civil war, which is ongoing. The third terminal was intended to increase the capacity of the airport to 16 million passengers per year.[25] Russia will be investing in expansion of the airport, with development of new terminal.

Runways

The current runways allow the landing of virtually all types of aircraft currently in use in the world (including Airbus A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 747-8). The airport has two parallel runways (05R/23L and 05L/23R), which were completely renovated in the 2010s. Their 3600 meters (11800 feet) allow smooth and permanent air traffic.[26]

Future projects

In 2023, the Government of Syria announced that it is considering to transfer 49% of the airport to a private entity.[27] [28] According to many sources Russia and Iran are planning to invest in the airport's development and building of a new international terminal, which would have a capacity of up to 15 million passengers per year.[29]

Ground transportation

Located 30 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Damascus, It is in the governate of Rif-Dimashq. The facility is connected to the city by a highway. A shuttle bus runs between the city center and the airport. 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

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New Damascus International Airport. centreforaviation.com. 17 June 2022.
  2. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/publication.asp?country=6 "The Report: Syria 2010"
  3. Web site: fr. AFP. Un groupe de firmes françaises va construire l'aéroport international de Damas. Le Monde. 1 April 1965. 8 July 2019.
  4. Web site: Airlines and Aircraft Serving Damascus Effective January 15, 1989 . Official Airline Guide: Worldwide Edition . 30 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210117055959/https://www.departedflights.com/DAM89intro.html . 17 January 2021.
  5. Web site: Airlines and Aircraft Serving Toronto Effective January 15, 1989 . Official Airline Guide: Worldwide Edition . 27 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210510074802/https://www.departedflights.com/YYZI89intro.html . 10 May 2021.
  6. Web site: Syrian History - Damascus Airport - 1948 . 2024-08-08 . w.syrianhistory.com.
  7. Web site: Nach Diktatur verreist . Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung . 2007-06-17 . 10 April 2023 . Spaeth, Andreas . de . 2007-06-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070625192742/http://www.faz.net/s/RubB4457BA9094E4B44BD26DF6DCF5A5F00/Doc~EF289C12B1966449DBC702A86FBE7FD9A~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html.
  8. News: La compañía venezolana Conviasa inaugura la ruta Caracas-Teherán con escala en Damasco . Notimérica . 2007-10-07 . 9 April 2023 . es . 10 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230410030751/https://www.notimerica.com/economia/noticia-venezuela-iran-compania-venezolana-conviasa-inaugura-ruta-caracas-teheran-escala-damasco-20071007182234.html.
  9. News: Venezuela and Iran Strengthen Ties With Caracas-to-Tehran Flight . The New York Times . 3 March 2007 . 30 November 2021 . Romero, Simon.
  10. Web site: Damascus under siege. Dec 11, 2012. Salon.
  11. Web site: Conviasa resumes Syria service from late-May 2023 . AeroRoutes . 2023-03-25 . 27 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230325153120/https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230325-v0dam . 25 March 2023.
  12. Web site: 'Heavy' damage to Damascus airport confirmed after Israeli attack . 2022-06-12 . www.aljazeera.com . en.
  13. Web site: Harel . Amos . Analysis Israel Shut Down Damascus Airport to Thwart Weapons Smuggling From Iran . Haaretz . 12 June 2022 .
  14. Web site: 2022-09-14 . Israeli strike on Damascus airport in June halted aid in Syria for two weeks: UN . 2023-01-02 . Al Arabiya English . en.
  15. News: Al-Khalidi . Suleiman . 2023-01-02 . Syria says Israel strike puts Damascus airport briefly out of service . en . Reuters . 2023-01-02.
  16. Web site: Damascus airport reopens after Israeli raid kills Syrian soldiers . 2023-01-02 . www.aljazeera.com . en.
  17. Web site: Government to Establish Public-Private Company to Operate Damascus Airport . 2024-08-08 . Syria Report . en-US.
  18. News: 2023-10-12 . Syria says Israeli missiles hit Damascus, Aleppo airports . en . Reuters . 2023-10-12.
  19. News: 2023-10-17 . Syria's Damascus airport to be back in service as of 'tomorrow afternoon' -State TV . en . Reuters . 2023-10-18.
  20. Web site: Syria says Israel hit Damascus, Aleppo airports again amid Gaza bombing . Al Jazeera . 22 October 2023 .
  21. Web site: Israeli air strikes kill two workers at Syria's Damascus airport, official says . Reuters . 22 October 2023 .
  22. Web site: fr. Natalia Atfee. Les grands projets urbains de Damas. November 2005. Archive ouverte HAL. 9 July 2019.
  23. Web site: Strike at Damascus Airport: Israel Shows How it's Done. 30 April 2017 .
  24. https://ayoubahmad.com/damascus-airport-terminal-2
  25. Web site: airport . Damascus international . Damascus airport . 2024-06-14 . www.damascus-airport.com.
  26. Web site: airport . Damascus international . Damascus airport . 2024-06-14 . www.damascus-airport.com.
  27. Web site: Sh . 2023-07-03 . Partnership Between State and Private Sector to Manage and Operate Damascus Airport . 2024-06-14 . The Syrian Observer . en-US.
  28. https://diyaruna.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_di/features/2023/08/10/feature-01 Cash-strapped Syrian regime hawks national airport to Iran-linked front company
  29. Web site: Russian investors eye Damascus new airport construction . 2024-06-14. 19 January 2019 . TASS.

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