Cham Wings Airlines

Airline overview

Cham Wings Airlines (the Arabic name means Wings of Sham) is the first private airline in Syria and is headquartered in the capital, Damascus. It received its air operator certificate from the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority in 2007, was formally established on 15 October that year and flew its first commercial flight on 20 November, long operating Airbus A320-200 aircraft on scheduled and charter routes to the Middle East, the Gulf, North Africa and Turkey.

In February 2024 the European Union added the airline to its sanctions list on the grounds of supporting the Syrian authorities. On 5 June 2025 the Cham Wings brand stopped operating; under a restructuring by Syrian and UAE investors the fleet and staff moved to the newly created Fly Cham brand, which operated its first flight on 11 June 2025 and describes itself as a Syrian-Emirati private commercial airline.

Fly Cham continues to sell and number flights under the 6Q code (some public channels show XH as the ticket code; confirm with the carrier on the day of booking), uses FYC as its operating code and lists chamwings.com and flycham.com as official websites. The airline works from two bases, Damascus and Aleppo, serving Syrian diaspora travel and regional trade cargo, with a network covering the Middle East, the Gulf, North Africa and Turkey.

In cargo terms the network centers on Arab markets where the Syrian diaspora lives, and high-frequency operation between Damascus and the Gulf stations provides the base schedule for consolidation and distribution; the Aleppo base sits close to northern Syria's industrial zone and suits production inputs and reconstruction materials. In 2026 the airline added a Damascus to Tripoli route, extending the network into North Africa; Yerevan and Mersin offer connections toward the Caucasus and Anatolia. As a non-IATA member, its air waybills and settlement follow the carrier's system on the day. For Chinese shippers, the network's frequent Gulf flights carry cargo from China to Syria and the wider Middle East, and a forwarder can complete booking and connections under one through air waybill.

China contact

No publicly listed own office in China. The airline has not established a public sales or cargo office in China; Chinese shippers should contact its local agent in China, or ask Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited for help, website https://goodhope86.com.

Public head office contact details: Fardos Street, Philips Building 4th Floor, PO Box 30588, Damascus; telephone +963 11 224 4086 and +963 11 213 9211; email cs@chamwings.com. The airline completed its brand restructuring in 2025, so offices and contact details may change; the latest information is on the airline's official channels.

Aircraft types and fleet

The Cham Wings fleet is all Airbus A320-200. Three to four aircraft were registered during the Cham Wings period; after the move to Fly Cham, public sources show about five in service, mostly with cabins of about 150 to 156 seats and belly holds for loose cargo. The A320-200 is a short to medium-haul narrowbody suited to regional routes, carrying cargo mainly in the belly while also taking charter and ad hoc cargo work.

In cargo terms the A320-200 belly suits Chinese exports of loose cargo, express shipments and small e-commerce parcels. Aircraft with two-hold or single-hold layouts have different belly volumes, depending on the individual aircraft. The type's range covers regional routes, and with charter operation it can provide whole-aircraft capacity for larger lots. The fleet is maintained under a professional maintenance system, and public sources state that maintenance and airworthiness management follow international safety standards, with cargo loading handled to ICAO weight and balance requirements.

On charters, the A320-200 can be configured all-cargo or as a combi where airworthiness approval allows, providing temporary capacity for larger lots; charters are quoted by sector, aircraft type and season and suit time-sensitive or unusually sized cargo, with the shipper able to specify origin, destination and preferred timing.

Airport services and schedules in China

Airport services in China

Not publicly available. Cham Wings operates no scheduled passenger or cargo flights from any airport in mainland China and has no own ground handling at Chinese gateways. Cargo from China transits hubs such as Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul and connects to its Damascus and Aleppo routes, which is the standard air cargo routing from China to Syria at present.

The choice of transit gateway depends on transit time and destination. Dubai has the highest flight density, with daily flights to Damascus, and suits time-critical cargo; Doha offers stable capacity and suits cargo moving on Gulf mainlines; Abu Dhabi has two flights a week and connects to the Etihad network; Istanbul suits cargo moving on European and Turkish mainlines. Chinese forwarders usually choose the best gateway and transit plan before booking, based on same-day connections and rates.

At Aleppo International Airport, several Gulf airlines restored or added international flights in 2026 and the airport's cargo handling capacity continues to recover. Cham Wings' Aleppo base can serve as a direct drop point for northern Syrian cargo, removing the road leg north from Damascus.

Regional schedule overview

The schedule overview is compiled from published 2026 season data and is subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.

Times are local. Actual schedules vary with the season and are subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.

On connections, cargo departing a Chinese gateway clears international transit at a hub such as Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi or Istanbul, where the ground agent completes document transfer and loading, and then flies to Damascus or Aleppo on a Cham Wings flight. One air waybill covers the whole journey, with no second export declaration inside China. Transit time is usually 6 to 24 hours depending on same-day connections; if schedules or capacity change, the forwarder notifies the shipper in advance and adjusts the plan.

Cargo network from China to the world

From China, cargo transits once or twice at hubs such as Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul and connects to the Cham Wings network, reaching the United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi), Iraq (Baghdad, Basra, Erbil), Kuwait (Kuwait City), Oman (Muscat), Saudi Arabia (Dammam), Libya (Tripoli), Armenia (Yerevan) and Turkey (Istanbul Sabiha, Mersin), and extending across Syria including the two economic centers of Damascus and Aleppo.

Main Chinese gateways such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Zhengzhou have dense mainline services to Gulf hubs and mature transit handling, so the whole journey can run under one air waybill. Cargo is handled at the hub under international transit procedures, rates are built up by sector and calculated by the forwarder as one figure, and no second export declaration is needed inside China.

On cargo types, the network suits conventional goods such as electronic components, machinery parts, medical supplies, building material samples, textiles and consumer goods. Charging follows IATA rules, based on the greater of gross weight and volumetric weight, with volumetric weight calculated as length times width times height divided by 6000; for low-density cargo, improve the packing in advance to control the chargeable weight. Cargo with a single piece over 150 kilograms or oversize dimensions requires capacity and ground equipment to be confirmed in advance, and charter cargo is quoted separately on whole-aircraft capacity.

For small lots or cargo with scattered destinations, consolidation can be used, with the forwarder grouping cargo at the hub before it connects to a Cham Wings flight; for a single large lot or time-critical cargo, charter capacity can be requested. Air transit time from China to Syria is usually 5 to 10 days depending on gateway, hub and season, and the forwarder states the estimated transit time and capacity plan with the quotation.

Freight advantages

From the point of view of shipping from China, the strengths of the Cham Wings network are as follows.

First, the Aleppo base covers northern Syria's industrial belt and reconstruction demand, which suits bulk movement of building materials, electromechanical equipment and production inputs, and the connection from northern Chinese gateways is well established.

Second, Gulf routes are frequent: several flights a day to Dubai and several a week to Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, so the connection window between Chinese cargo and Gulf hub flights is short, which suits time-critical cargo and e-commerce express.

Third, the all-Airbus A320 fleet is uniform, with a high degree of standardization in maintenance and operations, and charter and ad hoc cargo arrangements are flexible, which suits bulk lots and temporary capacity needs.

Fourth, as a Syrian private airline its network is driven by diaspora travel and trade demand and serves the Middle East directly; the northern corridor between Aleppo, Erbil and Baghdad is convenient for cargo transiting to Iraq.

Fifth, we can handle applicable sanctions compliance screening and the full operation, so that transport arrangements meet the relevant regulations.

Overall, the Cham Wings network suits these types of Chinese shipper: exporters of building materials and electromechanical goods for reconstruction projects in northern Syria, consumer goods traders needing frequent restocking, and charter customers with temporary bulk capacity needs. Booking through a forwarder secures rate, capacity, transit time and compliance together.

We provide a full service from quotation and booking through delivery, acting as a single interface to the carrier and the destination agent, so the shipper does not have to coordinate the airline, the hub and customs separately.

Cham Wings' charter capability is what sets it apart from large airlines: whole-aircraft capacity can be tailored by sector and timing to the shipper's needs, which suits engineering equipment, emergency supplies and bulk cargo; the Aleppo base sits close to northern Syria's production belt, removing the road leg north from Damascus and shortening final delivery.

Booking path from China

The booking process for Chinese shippers using the Cham Wings network is as follows.

First, give the international freight forwarder the cargo details: commodity, number of pieces, gross weight, volume, origin gateway and destination airport. Second, the forwarder assesses routing, capacity, transit time and compliance requirements and selects a transit plan via Dubai, Doha or Istanbul. Third, the booking is made through the airline's general sales agent in China or the transit carrier and the air waybill is issued. Fourth, cargo departs the Chinese gateway, transits the hub and connects to a Cham Wings flight. Fifth, customs clearance and collection take place at the destination airport.

A freight forwarder manages the air waybill, tracking and exception handling throughout. Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited can handle all of these steps and provides a single point of contact from quotation and booking through to delivery.

Documents needed before booking include the commercial invoice, packing list, declaration elements and any import documents required by the destination; special cargo also needs the relevant certificates and permits. Rates normally consist of the base freight, fuel surcharge and security fee, with transit handling charges added for cargo passing a hub, and charters quoted separately by sector and aircraft type; the forwarder lists all charges at the quotation stage. After booking confirmation the forwarder issues the air waybill and passes on the booking details, and the shipper can track the whole journey with the waybill number.

Specialist freight value-added services

Cham Wings runs scheduled flights and charters in parallel, carrying cargo mainly in passenger belly holds and able to take Chinese exports of samples, express shipments, small e-commerce parcels and loose cargo in bulk. Its diaspora-driven route structure keeps frequency high between Damascus, Aleppo and the Gulf stations, which suits small, frequent restocking shipments.

On charters, Chinese shippers can specify the origin gateway, the destination in Syria or the Gulf and the cargo details, and the carrier assesses capacity and arranges an ad hoc flight, which suits Chinese exports of reconstruction materials, project cargo and emergency restocking. Special categories such as live animals, valuables and temperature-controlled cargo require conditions and documents to be confirmed before booking. After the 2025 brand restructuring, Fly Cham has kept the former fleet and routes, and transit time and accessibility from China to Syria and the Middle East continue to improve.

On intermodal options, cargo from China that is not time-critical or moves in larger lots can fly to Beirut or Istanbul and go on by road into Syria, balancing transit time and cost; shipping to Latakia or Tartus and then moving inland by road is a common option for bulk reconstruction materials. The Aleppo corridor to Baghdad and Erbil also allows cargo to transit to the northern Iraq market. We can quote air and sea-air options side by side for the cargo details provided.

For special cargo, Cham Wings accepts applications for dangerous goods and live animals under IATA rules; shippers must declare accurately at booking and provide the required documents. Valuables can be booked under a high-value service, and temperature-controlled cargo requires ground handling conditions to be confirmed in advance, subject to carrier confirmation.

On service commitments, the freight forwarder updates the shipper at four points: booking, handover, transit and arrival. If a flight is rescheduled or capacity changes, an alternative is offered at once. Rates and transit times are stated in full at quotation, and no charge is added beyond surcharges published by the carrier, so costs stay transparent throughout.

Common freight questions