Damascus International Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Damascus International Airport

مطار دمشق الدولي
Damascus - International (DAM - OSDI) AN2190526.jpg
Summary
Airport typeJoint
(civil and military air base)
OperatorDirectorate General of Civil Aviation
ServesDamascus, Syria
Hub for
Elevation AMSL2,020 ft / 616 m
Coordinates33°24′41.48″N 36°30′56.01″E / 33.4115222°N 36.5155583°E / 33.4115222; 36.5155583Coordinates: 33°24′41.48″N 36°30′56.01″E / 33.4115222°N 36.5155583°E / 33.4115222; 36.5155583
Websitedamascus-airport.com
Map
DAM is located in Syria
DAM
DAM
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
05R/23L 11,811 3,600 Asphalt
05L/23R 11,804 3,598 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Passengers5,500,000

Damascus International Airport (Arabic: مَطَار دِمَشْق الدَّوْلِيّ, romanized: Maṭār Dimašq ad-Dawaliyy) (IATA: DAM, ICAO: OSDI) 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.[1]

History[]

Aerial view of DAM

In the late 1980s, the Damascus airport had robust air service. Over 30 airlines were operating to the city, offering nonstop flights to various destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.[2]

In March 2007, Iran Air inaugurated a direct connection between Damascus and South America. For a brief period, the airline flew to Caracas using Boeing 747s before its partner Conviasa began plying the route instead.[3][4][5] Flights initially originated in Tehran.[6] By early 2011, Conviasa had added a stop in Madrid to the flight.[7] Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez commented in 2012 that Damascus remained one of Conviasa's destinations, although he did not mention whether the service still operated via Madrid.[8]

Since the onset of the Syrian Civil War, the airport and the road leading to it have been closed intermittently and most international airlines have ceased flights. Several airlines such as Emirates and EgyptAir with former regular service to Damascus have cancelled their flights to Damascus. British Midland International stopped flying to Damascus in May 2012 as well, while Royal Jordanian stopped in July 2012. In November and December 2012, intense fighting was reported around the airport, prompting a two-day closure.[9]

As of December 2021, the director of Damascus Airport is Eng Bashar Mohsen Ghafra.

Facilities[]

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.[10]

Airlines and destinations[]

AirlinesDestinations
Badr Airlines Khartoum
Cham Wings Airlines[11] Abu Dhabi, Aleppo, Baghdad, Basra, Beirut, Benghazi, Erbil, Karachi, Khartoum, Kuwait, Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Muscat, Najaf, Qamishli, Sharjah, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Yerevan
Fly Baghdad[12] Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Najaf
Mahan Air Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Pakistan International Airlines Karachi
Syrian Air[13] Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Doha, Dubai–International, Khartoum, Kuwait, Moscow–Vnukovo, Najaf, Qamishli, Sharjah

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.

References[]

  1. ^ "The Report: Syria 2010" Archived 29 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine,
  2. ^ "Airlines and Aircraft Serving Damascus Effective January 15, 1989". Official Airline Guide: Worldwide Edition. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  3. ^ Romero, Simon (3 March 2007). "Venezuela and Iran Strengthen Ties With Caracas-to-Tehran Flight". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Iran: National airline to fly to Venezuela". Tampa Bay Times. 11 February 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. ^ Primera, Maye (23 November 2009). "Caracas-Damasco-Teherán, un vuelo de lo más misterioso". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  6. ^ McConnell, Dugald; Todd, Brian (21 August 2010). "Venezuela defends controversial flights to Iran and Syria". CNN. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Venezuela se esforzará en 2011 por incrementar el turismo "receptivo"". Semana (in Spanish). EFE. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Venezuela invierte más de 811 millones de euros en la compra de aviones". Notimérica. Europa Press. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Damascus under siege". Salon. 11 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Strike at Damascus Airport: Israel Shows How it's Done".
  11. ^ chamwings.com - Our destinations retrieved 27 January 2021
  12. ^ flybaghdad.net retrieved 27 January 2021
  13. ^ syrianair.com retrieved 27 January 2021

External links[]

Media related to Damascus International Airport at Wikimedia Commons


Stub icon

This article about a Syrian airport is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""