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Kuwait Times
17-07-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Syria aviation sector struggles amid regional turmoil
DAMASCUS: Poor infrastructure, regional conflict and sporadic Zionist airstrikes are holding back more airlines from returning to Syria, industry officials told Reuters, hampering efforts to rebuild a shattered economy after 14 years of civil war. This month, at least 11 foreign airlines are scheduled to fly into Syria, up from just three a year ago, as sanctions are scaled back following the overthrow of long-time leader Bashar Al-Assad in December 2024. These include the world's largest international carrier, Dubai's Emirates, and the first two European Union-based airlines to fly into Syria since 2011: Romania's Dan Air and Greece's Air Mediterranean. But airlines such as Royal Jordanian, FlyDubai, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways last month were forced to cancel many of their recently launched flights as airspace across the Middle East closed to civil air traffic due to air and missile attacks involving Zionist entity, the US and Iran. There are dangers closer to home too. Zionist entity carried out strikes against Syrian government forces in southwestern Syria for a second day on Tuesday, vowing to keep the area demilitarized and to protect the Druze minority there. At the same time, airlines are worried about the state of Syria's aviation infrastructure and management of the industry. 'Progress is needed in regulatory oversight, infrastructure investment, and compliance with international safety and operational standards,' industry body the International Air Transport Association said. Major carriers such as Lufthansa and Air France KLM which used to fly to Syria pre-war, have visited Damascus airport to assess the infrastructure and former offices, officials at Damascus airport and Syria's aviation regulator told Reuters. However, both airlines told Reuters they had no current interest in resuming flights. Small Romanian airline Dan Air launched its Bucharest to Damascus route last month. 'What held back operators until now were the logistical and regulatory complexities,' Dan Air CEO Matt Ian David told Reuters, adding that eased sanctions would now make Syria more accessible. Emirates at the end of May resumed flying over Syria for the first time since the civil war, shaving up to an hour off a Dubai to Beirut flight. However, several countries, including Britain and the United States, still advise their airlines to avoid flying over Syria. Europe's aviation regulator EASA says 'there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft'. Syria completely reopened its airspace on June 24, its civil air authority said. Damascus Airport's two runways were bombed during the civil war, but have been repaired. The airport was also looted during the chaos of Assad's fall. Alaa Sallal, director of public relations at Syria's Civil Aviation Authority, told Reuters a number of airlines had been to inspect security and infrastructure at the airport. 'The airport's construction was dilapidated, the equipment was worn out and some missing,' Sallal said. Radar equipment was lacking, leaving the country reliant on Lebanese or Turkish radar to monitor air traffic, he said. The head of Syria's General Authority for Civil Aviation earlier this month said it wanted to build new airports in Damascus, Aleppo and in the country's central region. But that will take time and money that the war-ravaged country may struggle to find on its own. The mostly Iranian and Iraqi carriers that served Syria through its long conflict have largely stopped flying there, reflecting a new political landscape after Iran- and Russia-backed Assad's overthrow. The flag carriers of Qatar and Turkey, countries that backed Syria's rebels through the war, were the first big airlines to resume flights in January under President Ahmed Al-Sharaa's new leadership. Turkey, a close ally of the new government, has been helping improve Syria's airports, its transport ministry has said. Emirates, which resumes its Dubai-Damascus route from Wednesday for the first time since 2012, said flights would support ties with the United Arab Emirates and help Syria attract investment. Saudi budget carrier flyadeal has said it also wants to start flying to Syria soon, joining fellow Saudi low-cost airline flynas. – Reuters
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Syria's aviation comeback struggles amid regional turmoil
Airlines are worried about the state of Syria's aviation infrastructure and management of the industry. Poor infrastructure, regional conflict, and sporadic Israeli airstrikes are holding back more airlines from returning to Syria, industry officials told Reuters, hampering efforts to rebuild a shattered economy after 14 years of civil war. This month, at least 11 foreign airlines are scheduled to fly into Syria, up from just three a year ago, as sanctions are scaled back following the overthrow of long-time leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. These include the world's largest international carrier, Dubai's Emirates, and the first two European Union-based airlines to fly into Syria since 2011: Romania's Dan Air and Greece's Air Mediterranean. But airlines such as Royal Jordanian, FlyDubai, Turkish Airlines, and Qatar Airways last month were forced to cancel many of their recently launched flights as airspace across the Middle East closed to civil air traffic due to air and missile attacks involving Israel, the US, and Iran. There are dangers closer to home, too. Israel carried out strikes against Syrian government forces in southwestern Syria for a second day on Tuesday, vowing to keep the area demilitarized and to protect the Druze minority there. At the same time, airlines are worried about the state of Syria's aviation infrastructure and management of the industry. "Progress is needed in regulatory oversight, infrastructure investment, and compliance with international safety and operational standards," industry body the International Air Transport Association said. Major carriers such as Lufthansa and Air France KLM, which used to fly to Syria pre-war, have visited Damascus airport to assess the infrastructure and former offices, officials at Damascus airport and Syria's aviation regulator told Reuters. However, both airlines told Reuters they had no current interest in resuming flights. Small Romanian airline Dan Air launched its Bucharest to Damascus route last month. "What held back operators until now were the logistical and regulatory complexities," Dan Air CEO Matt Ian David told Reuters, adding that eased sanctions would now make Syria more accessible. Emirates at the end of May resumed flying over Syria for the first time since the civil war, shaving up to an hour off a Dubai to Beirut flight. However, several countries, including the United States and Britain, still advise their airlines to avoid flying over Syria. Europe's aviation regulator EASA says, "there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft." Syria completely reopened its airspace on June 24, its civil air authority said. Damascus Airport's two runways were damaged during the civil war but have since been repaired. The airport was also looted during the chaos of Assad's fall. Alaa Sallal, director of public relations at Syria's Civil Aviation Authority, told Reuters a number of airlines had been to inspect security and infrastructure at the airport. "The airport's construction was dilapidated, the equipment was worn out and some missing," Sallal said. Radar equipment was lacking, leaving the country reliant on Lebanese or Turkish radar to monitor air traffic, he said. The head of Syria's General Authority for Civil Aviation earlier this month said it wanted to build new airports in Damascus, Aleppo, and in the country's central region. But that will take time and money that the war-ravaged country may struggle to find on its own. Airlines to resume flights under al-Sharaa's leadership The mostly Iranian and Iraqi carriers that served Syria through its long conflict have largely stopped flying there, reflecting a new political landscape after Iran- and Russia-backed Assad's overthrow. The flag carriers of Qatar and Turkey, countries that backed Syria's rebels through the war, were the first big airlines to resume flights in January under President Ahmed al-Sharaa's new leadership. Turkey, a close ally of the new government, has been helping improve Syria's airports, its transport ministry has said. Emirates, which resumes its Dubai-Damascus route from Wednesday for the first time since 2012, said flights would support ties with the United Arab Emirates and help Syria attract investment. Saudi budget carrier flyadeal has said it also wants to start flying to Syria soon, joining fellow Saudi low-cost airline flynas. For others, though, there may be less incentive to return as even pre-war Syria was not a major market for non-Middle Eastern carriers. Those that did fly there - Russia's Aeroflot, Air France, Lufthansa's Austrian Airways, LOT Polish, IAG's Iberia, Italy's ITA, Czech Airlines, and China Southern - have not yet returned. Despite the recent ramp-up, the number of international flights serving Syria remains well below pre-war levels. Scheduled flights in July were 58% of what they were in July 2010, Cirium data shows. IATA said the easing of sanctions had opened pathways to improved access to aircraft parts, maintenance services and some commercial transactions. However, visa restrictions on Syrian nationals limited passenger mobility and market growth. Solve the daily Crossword
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Syria's aviation comeback struggles amid regional turmoil
DAMASCUS, July 16 (Reuters) - Poor infrastructure, regional conflict and sporadic Israeli airstrikes are holding back more airlines from returning to Syria, industry officials told Reuters, hampering efforts to rebuild a shattered economy after 14 years of civil war. This month, at least 11 foreign airlines are scheduled to fly into Syria, up from just three a year ago, as sanctions are scaled back following the overthrow of long-time leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. These include the world's largest international carrier, Dubai's Emirates, and the first two European Union-based airlines to fly into Syria since 2011: Romania's Dan Air and Greece's Air Mediterranean. But airlines such as Royal Jordanian, FlyDubai, Turkish Airlines ( opens new tab and Qatar Airways last month were forced to cancel many of their recently launched flights as airspace across the Middle East closed to civil air traffic due to air and missile attacks involving Israel, the U.S. and Iran. There are dangers closer to home too. Israel carried out strikes against Syrian government forces in southwestern Syria for a second day on Tuesday, vowing to keep the area demilitarized and to protect the Druze minority there. At the same time, airlines are worried about the state of Syria's aviation infrastructure and management of the industry. "Progress is needed in regulatory oversight, infrastructure investment, and compliance with international safety and operational standards," industry body the International Air Transport Association said. Major carriers such as Lufthansa ( opens new tab and Air France KLM ( opens new tab, which used to fly to Syria pre-war, have visited Damascus airport to assess the infrastructure and former offices, officials at Damascus airport and Syria's aviation regulator told Reuters. However, both airlines told Reuters they had no current interest in resuming flights. Small Romanian airline Dan Air launched its Bucharest to Damascus route last month. "What held back operators until now were the logistical and regulatory complexities," Dan Air CEO Matt Ian David told Reuters, adding that eased sanctions would now make Syria more accessible. Emirates at the end of May resumed flying over Syria for the first time since the civil war, shaving up to an hour off a Dubai to Beirut flight. However, several countries, including Britain and the United States, still advise their airlines to avoid flying over Syria. Europe's aviation regulator EASA says "there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft". Syria completely reopened its airspace on June 24, its civil air authority said. Damascus Airport's two runways were bombed during the civil war, but have been repaired. The airport was also looted during the chaos of Assad's fall. Alaa Sallal, director of public relations at Syria's Civil Aviation Authority, told Reuters a number of airlines had been to inspect security and infrastructure at the airport. "The airport's construction was dilapidated, the equipment was worn out and some missing," Sallal said. Radar equipment was lacking, leaving the country reliant on Lebanese or Turkish radar to monitor air traffic, he said. The head of Syria's General Authority for Civil Aviation earlier this month said it wanted to build new airports in Damascus, Aleppo and in the country's central region. But that will take time and money that the war-ravaged country may struggle to find on its own. The mostly Iranian and Iraqi carriers that served Syria through its long conflict have largely stopped flying there, reflecting a new political landscape after Iran- and Russia-backed Assad's overthrow. The flag carriers of Qatar and Turkey, countries that backed Syria's rebels through the war, were the first big airlines to resume flights in January under President Ahmed al-Sharaa's new leadership. Turkey, a close ally of the new government, has been helping improve Syria's airports, its transport ministry has said. Emirates, which resumes its Dubai-Damascus route from Wednesday for the first time since 2012, said flights would support ties with the United Arab Emirates and help Syria attract investment. Saudi budget carrier flyadeal has said it also wants to start flying to Syria soon, joining fellow Saudi low-cost airline flynas. For others, though, there may be less incentive to return as even pre-war Syria was not a major market for non-Middle Eastern carriers. Those that did fly there - Russia's Aeroflot, Air France, Lufthansa's Austrian Airways, LOT Polish, IAG's (ICAG.L), opens new tab Iberia, Italy's ITA, Czech Airlines, and China Southern ( opens new tab - have not yet returned. Despite the recent ramp-up, the number of international flights serving Syria remains well below pre-war levels. Scheduled flights in July were 58% of what they were in July 2010, Cirium data shows. IATA said the easing of sanctions had opened pathways to improved access to aircraft parts, maintenance services and some commercial transactions. However, visa restrictions on Syrian nationals limited passenger mobility and market growth.
Arab News
16-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
First European commercial plane lands in Damascus airport in over a decade
LONDON: Damascus International Airport in the Syrian Arab Republic welcomed its first European commercial flight this week since the civil war began in 2011. A European airline, Dan Air, landed in Damascus on Sunday after flying from Bucharest, the capital of Romania, the SANA news agency reported. Mohammad Nidal Al-Shaar, the minister of economy and industry in Syria's interim government, was on the plane that was received in Damascus by Radu Gimpostan, who led the Romanian Embassy's delegation. Dan Air's plane carried 138 passengers, including Syrians and foreign nationals, and the return flight from Damascus to Bucharest would carry 125 passengers. The airline has announced flights from Damascus to Bucharest, the German cities of Frankfurt and Berlin, and the Swedish capital, Stockholm. Syrian officials said that the flights would facilitate the mobility of travelers between Syria and Europe following more than a decade of interrupted aviation services.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Pilot's chilling final words on board flight from Manchester to Tenerife moments before largest loss of life in British aviation history
The final words of the pilot flying a British aircraft that crashed into the Tenerife mountains and killed 146 is haunting people 45 years on. The three pilots on board had years of experience under their belt but the rugged terrain and poor weather around the airport has made it a notoriously difficult place to land. Only three years before the Dan-Air flight 1008 crashed, the worst aviation disaster in history tragically took place at Tenerife North when two planes collided on the run way, killing 583 people - partly due to poor visibility. But in 1980, a change in wind direction forced Captain Arthur Whelan, 50, First Officer Michael Firth, 33, and Flight Engineer Raymond Carey, 33, to alter their landing plan and come in from the opposite side. A tragic miscommunication in instructions then left the pilots asking one minute and six seconds before the crash 'b****y strange hold, isn't it?'. As they dropped below the safe height of 14,500ft for the mountains, one pilot responded 'it doesn't parallel with the runway or anything'. Having taken off from Manchester earlier that morning, the flight experienced no difficulty on the journey over the continent. With winds typically coming across the Atlantic to the west, on April 25 1980 there was a change in direction, forcing the popular airliner to come in using the opposite runway. There was not a single body that was found intact and most remains could not be identified Another aircraft was ahead of the doomed flight and controller Justo Camin, 34, could see they were dangerously close to colliding mid-air. He had to tell each flight how to fly along a predetermined route thanks to a lack of radar but improvised a holding pattern for the Dan Air flight. Flight 1008 was told to enter a left-hand holding pattern and continue to make turns until the other flight was out of the way: 'Roger, the er, standard holding pattern overhead Foxtrot Papa is inbound heading one five zero, turn to the left, call you back shortly.' But this is where Mr Camin's instructions proved fatal - he had meant to say 'turns' rather than 'turn' and had sent the plane onto a collision course. So Captain Wheelan only made one small turn instead of the 150 degrees required for the holding pattern, heading straight for the mountain side invisible through the fog. The recording from the cockpit shows the team begin to get uneasy and experts believe if they had asked the air controller to clarify the instructions there might have been time to veer themselves off their path to destruction. Mr Camin, thinking the plane is over the sea, tells Flight 1008 that they can continue descending another 1,000ft, expecting them to slowly come in over the runway. Captain Whelan says to his cop-pilot: 'I don't like that.' He responds: 'They want us to keep going more round, don't they?' Seconds later, the automatic ground alarm begins blaring 'pull up, pull up!' Captain Whelan quickly turns into a sharp right instead of pulling up as co-pilot Firth suggests other routes after reading the charts. Flight engineer Carey tells them 'let's get out of here' as Captain Whelan continues turning to the right as they continued to lose 300ft of altitude. This was the last chance for the plane to save itself from its tragic fate. The flight engineer begins shouting 'bank angle, bank angle!' before the CVR cuts out as the plan slams headlong into La Esperanza. Debris was scattered across the mountain range and the tail section careened onwards for several hundred metres before plummeting into a ravine. There was not a single body that was found intact and most remains could not be identified. At 5,450ft, the plane was only 92ft from the summit and it obliterated instantly. Spanish investigators tried to pin all the blame on the Dan-Air crew despite admitting fault with the controller's instructions while the Brits argued Mr Camin should have used a published holding pattern that kept flights at 7,000ft and realised earlier there was a problem with between the separation of the two planes. They did acknowledge however that the Dan-Air crew should have queried the controllers instructions or requested clarification. After the tragedy, a standardised procedure for all flight operations was established as well as the need for clear communication between pilots and air traffic controllers that is repeated. Dan-Air, which has popular during the 60s and 70s, was able to recover from the disaster before it was taken over by British Airways in 1992.
