Syrian Air
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| Founded | 1961 | ||||||
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| Hubs | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Syrian Air Frequent Flyer | ||||||
| Fleet size | 11 (+57 orders) | ||||||
| Destinations | 49 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Damascus, Syria | ||||||
| Key people | Naachat Numir (President and CEO) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.syriaair.com | ||||||
Syrian Arab Airlines (Arabic: مؤسسة الطيران العربية السورية), alternative name Syrianair (السورية) is the flag carrier airline of Syria, based in Damascus. It operates scheduled international services to over 40 destinations in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North Africa, as well as domestic services. Its main base is Damascus International Airport.
Syrian Arab Airlines is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.
History
The airline was established by the Government of Syria in October 1961 to succeed Syrian Airways which had been established in 1946.[citation needed] The new Syrian Arab Airlines took over the routes previously controlled by Syrian Airways and United Arab Airlines.[citation needed] The latter had been a short-lived airline formed by the merger of Syrian Airways and Misrair in January 1961 during the union of Syria and Egypt.[citation needed]
Syrian Arab Airlines began operation with three Douglas DC-6, two Douglas DC-4 and three Douglas DC-3, serving both domestic and international routes to the east.[citation needed] In summer 1963, Syrianair begin its expansion to the west, starting with Rome and Munich, then London and Paris.[citation needed] Sud Aviation Caravelle 10B3 joined the fleet in October 1965.[citation needed] In 1976, the airline acquired a Boeing 727-200 and 747SP.[citation needed]
In the 1970s, because of the closer political ties between Syria and the Soviet Union, Syrianair acquired Soviet aircraft.[citation needed] This included an Antonov An-26, Ilyushin Il-76 and Yakovlev Yak-40 in the 1970s and Tupolev Tu-134B-3 and Tupolev Tu-154M in the 1980s.[citation needed]
A joint service with Royal Jordanian to New York was opened in July 1978.[citation needed]
When the United States imposed sanctions on Syria, updates to Syrianair were interrupted until October of 1998, when Airbus A320-200 were bought.[citation needed]
As of August, 2006, Syrianair was in negotiations to purchase three Ilyushin Il-96-400 long-range aircraft and four Tupolev Tu-204 medium-range aircraft.[1][2]
The airline is wholly owned by the Syrian government and employs 5,325 staff.[citation needed]
Dr. Sami Khiyami, currently Syrian Ambassador in London, England, is a former senior figure within the Airline.
Destinations
Syrian have code share agreements with the following airline:
Fleet
The Syrianair fleet consists of the following aircraft as of March 2008:[3]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 6 | 150-179 | |
| Boeing 727-200 | 3 | 70-189 | |
| Ilyushin Il-96-300 | (1 order) | ||
| Ilyushin Il-96-400 | (2 orders) | ||
| Tupolev Tu-204 | (4 orders) | ||
| Airbus A320, A330, A340, A350 | (50 orders, no model breakdown) |