The step for the modernization of Damascus Airport and its new terminal and infrastructure has been taken together with Turkey. Kalyon, one of the operators of Istanbul Airport, Cengiz Group and TAV Construction, of which Sani Şener is the Chairman of the Board of Directors, will take steps together. The foreign backers of the project are UCC from Qatar and US-based investor USS Assets Investments.
The target is to reach an annual capacity of 31 million passengers. Damascus, which opened to international flights in January, currently has an annual passenger capacity of 5 million passengers.
Despite the end of the civil war, Syria is still experiencing turbulent days, and the airport is of great importance for Syria’s internationalization. With the new government, international flights resumed on January 7, 2025. Qatar Airways from Doha was followed by Turkish Airlines and AJet. After Damascus, Aleppo became the second destination for Turkish companies.
11 airlines fly
Currently, 11 airlines fly to Damascus. These include THY and AJet, as well as Emirates, Qatar, Royal Jordanian, Dan Air (Romania), Air Mediterranean (Greece). However, there are frequent flight violations due to infrastructure problems and regional conflicts.
The number of daily international flights is around 25. An average of 3,500 passengers use Damascus Airport. With domestic flights, the expectation for Damascus at the end of this year is around 5 million passengers.
Infrastructure problems
There are problems with air traffic services (such as radar, approach and tower) and terminal standards. Teams, especially from Turkey, are supporting Syria. DHMI provided support for air traffic, security points and X-ray devices after the airport was opened to traffic.
4 billion dollars investment
With the important agreement signed in Damascus, Kalyon and Cengiz from Turkey, as well as TAV Construction, are stepping into airport investment in Syria with 4 billion dollars. The other partners are UCC from Qatar and US-based investor USS Assets Investments.
The goal is to develop the infrastructure of the airport and create a new Damascus Airport that will offer an annual passenger capacity of 31 million passengers with its terminal, apron and systems within 8 years.
Kalyon and Cengiz Groups are currently the operators of Istanbul Airport İGA. Following the transfer of a major stake in TAV to the French Group ADP, a new agreement was made in 2018. Accordingly, ADP gave its shares in TAV Construction.
Sani Şener is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TAV Construction, which currently carries out major construction projects, especially airports. Şener stepped down as CEO of TAV Airports Holding on May 1, 2024 and was replaced by Serkan Kaptan.
12 projects worth $14 billion
In addition to the $4 billion airport investment, a total of 12 agreements were signed especially for the reconstruction of Damascus. After the airport, the biggest project is the $2 billion Damascus public transportation project backed by the United Arab Emirates.
Last May, Kalyon Holding and Cengiz Holding, Qatar’s UCC and Power International from the United States signed an important energy deal for Syria.
With a total of 7 billion dollars, new power plants will be commissioned for electricity generation in the country. With the completion of the 5000 MW energy investment, approximately 35 billion kWh of electricity is planned to be generated annually.
