Syrian Air

Airline overview

Syrian Arab Airlines (trading as Syrian Air) is Syria's flag carrier, headquartered in Damascus. Its operating history goes back to domestic services in 1946, and Syrian Arab Airlines was formally established in 1961, taking over the Syrian operations of the former United Arab Airlines; it later built a network across Asia, Africa and Europe, reaching more than 50 international points at its peak.

The airline is a full IATA member with IATA code RB, ICAO code SYR, callsign SYRIANAIR and cargo accounting code 070. Its main hub is Damascus International Airport and its secondary hub Aleppo International Airport. After the political change in late 2024 the country's aviation system entered a restructuring phase; Damascus airport reopened in January 2025 and operated its first international commercial flight after reopening, Damascus to Sharjah, on 7 January; the airport returned to full regular operations in April 2026 and resumed direct Damascus to Amsterdam service in July 2026, the first direct link between Syria and western Europe in fourteen years.

On cargo, the airline combines belly capacity on passenger flights with ad hoc freighter operations, and Ilyushin Il-76 and Antonov An-26 freighters have been used for heavy and out-of-gauge cargo. Sanctions in some countries restrict fleet acquisition and some international traffic rights, and shipments must meet applicable sanctions and compliance requirements. The official website is syriaair.com.

On network, the airline reached more than 50 points in Asia, Europe and Africa at its peak; since resuming flights in 2025 it restored high-frequency Gulf and Middle East routes first, added longer routes to Moscow and Amsterdam in 2026 and opened new Nordic points. The cargo network centers on Damascus, reaching south to re-export corridors into Jordan and Lebanon and north to Aleppo and northern Iraqi markets. As a full IATA member with accounting code 070 in the international air cargo settlement system, Chinese forwarders can issue waybills and settle through it.

China contact

No public office of its own in China. The airline has no public sales office or cargo department in China, so Chinese shippers wanting to use the network should contact its local agent in China or ask Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited for help, website https://goodhope86.com.

Public head office contacts: P.O. Box 417, Youssef Al Azmeh Square, Damascus; telephone (+963) 11 223 1838. Syrian Air is in a phase of resuming flights and restructuring, so offices and contacts may change with operations; the latest information follows official airline channels.

Aircraft types and fleet

The current Syrian Air fleet is built around Airbus A320-200 aircraft, with Airbus A340-300 widebodies, Boeing 737-500s, ATR 72-500 regional aircraft and cargo types including the Ilyushin Il-76 and Antonov An-26. Public sources indicate the freighters have shared background with the Syrian air force, and there has been no authoritative public confirmation of Il-76 service status since late 2024; available capacity is subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.

In cargo terms, the A320-200 is the short and medium-haul workhorse, with belly space for loose cargo and express shipments and per-flight capacity suited to small and medium lots from Chinese shippers. The A340-300 is a four-engine long-haul widebody suited to longer sectors and larger lots, with relatively generous belly and main deck space. The 737-500 and ATR 72-500 handle regional and feeder work, feeding cargo on domestic sectors. The Il-76 is a four-engine heavy transport with large hold volume and high payload, historically used for heavy and out-of-gauge loads; the An-26 is a twin-engine short and medium-haul transport for domestic and nearby regional work. This mix lets the airline keep ad hoc freighter flexibility alongside passenger belly capacity.

Airport services and schedules in China

Airport services in China

No public information available. Syrian Air currently operates no scheduled passenger or cargo service from any airport in China and has no ground service or sales counter of its own at Chinese gateways. Cargo from China transits regional hubs such as Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul and Beirut and then connects to the Damascus network, the current standard practice for air freight from China to Syria.

Choosing the transit gateway depends on transit time and destination. Dubai has the highest frequency and suits time-critical cargo; Doha connects through the Qatar Airways network with stable capacity; Istanbul suits cargo moving with European mainlines; Beirut is often used for cargo entering southern Syria by road, flying to Beirut and trucking across the border to Damascus. Chinese forwarders normally settle the best gateway and routing before booking, based on the day's connections and rates.

Scheduled services from Damascus at a glance

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 departs a Chinese gateway and is transferred at a hub airport such as Dubai, Doha or Istanbul, where the ground agent handles document exchange and loading before it joins a Syrian Air flight into Damascus. One air waybill covers the whole journey, so no second export declaration is needed in China. Connection time is usually 6 to 24 hours depending on the day's flights; if the season or capacity changes, 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 Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul and joins the Syrian Air network, reaching the UAE (Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi), Kuwait (Kuwait City), Qatar (Doha), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina), Russia (Moscow), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Turkey (Istanbul) and the Nordic market (Copenhagen, Stockholm), and extending across Syria to Damascus, Aleppo, Latakia, Homs and other main commercial and industrial cities.

The main Chinese gateways of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Zhengzhou all have dense mainline flights to these hubs, allowing through carriage on one waybill. Cargo is handled under international transit procedures at the hub with no second export declaration in China, and the rate accumulates by segment and is calculated by the forwarder.

By commodity, the network suits electronic components, machinery parts, medical supplies, building material samples, textiles and consumer goods. Charging follows IATA rules, billed on the greater of gross weight and volumetric weight, with volumetric weight calculated as length times width times height divided by 6000; low-density cargo should be packed more efficiently in advance to control chargeable weight. Pieces over 150 kg or out of gauge need capacity and ground equipment confirmed in advance, and heavy or oversize cargo can be combined with ad hoc freighter capacity.

For small lots or scattered destinations, cargo can be consolidated at a hub by the forwarder and connected to a Syrian Air flight; for a single large lot, pallet or charter capacity can be requested. Air transit from China to Syria is usually 5 to 10 days depending on gateway, hub and season, and the forwarder sets out expected transit time and capacity plan at the quotation stage.

Freight advantages

For shipments from China, the Syrian Air network offers the following strengths.

First, Syria's reconstruction is driving import demand for building materials, machinery and equipment, medical supplies and consumer goods. Damascus is the primary gateway with distribution reach across southern Syria, while Aleppo covers the northern industrial belt, so the two bases can take different cargo flows.

Second, its Gulf routes are frequent, with several flights a day to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, so Chinese cargo has short connection windows to Gulf hub flights, suited to time-sensitive shipments.

Third, passenger belly capacity combined with ad hoc freighters gives flexible capacity for small and medium lots; freighters such as the Ilyushin Il-76 have historically carried heavy and out-of-gauge loads.

Fourth, multimodal connections at international hubs such as Doha, Dubai and Istanbul are mature, so Chinese shippers can control total cost and transit time using existing mainline networks.

Fifth, we can help with applicable sanctions compliance screening so that transport arrangements meet the relevant rules and compliance risk is reduced.

Overall the network suits Chinese shippers such as exporters of building materials and machinery for Syrian reconstruction projects, traders needing fast replenishment to Damascus or Aleppo, and shippers using the Middle East as a springboard to surrounding markets. Arranging everything through a forwarder delivers rates, capacity, transit time and compliance assurance together.

As a flag carrier, Syrian Air also connects fully to Syrian domestic services, so cargo arriving in Damascus can move quickly to Deir ez-Zor and other cities by domestic flight, cutting road legs and time. For southern distribution, the Beirut re-export channel and domestic mainlines complement each other to form a complete last-leg system.

Booking path from China

The booking process for Chinese shippers using the Syrian Air network runs as follows.

Step one: give the international forwarder the cargo details, including commodity, pieces, gross weight, volume, origin gateway and destination airport. Step two: the forwarder assesses route, capacity, transit time and compliance requirements and settles the routing via Doha, Dubai or Istanbul. Step three: booking is made through the airline's general sales agent in China or the connecting carrier, and the air waybill is issued with prefix 070. Step four: cargo departs the Chinese gateway and connects at the hub to a Syrian Air flight. Step five: clearance and collection 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 to prepare before booking include the commercial invoice, packing list, declaration details and any import documents the destination requires; special cargo also needs the relevant certificates and permits. The rate normally covers base freight, fuel surcharge and security fee, with transit handling charged separately for hub connections, all itemized by the forwarder at the quotation stage. Once the booking is confirmed, the forwarder issues the waybill and passes on the booking details, and the shipper can track the shipment with the waybill number.

Specialist freight value-added services

Syrian Air cargo service rests on belly capacity combined with ad hoc freighter capacity. Its high-frequency Damascus to Gulf routes suit express shipments, samples and small e-commerce parcels from Chinese shippers, and building material samples, machinery parts and medical supplies for reconstruction are common commodity types.

Special categories such as live animals, valuables and temperature-controlled cargo exported from China need acceptance conditions and document requirements confirmed with the carrier before booking. Since 2025, as Damascus airport has returned to service, transit times and reach from China to the Middle East and Europe have improved. We can provide bulk air freight plans for Chinese exporters of building materials and machinery for Syrian reconstruction projects, combined with sea and road into multimodal solutions.

On multimodal options, cargo from China with less urgency or larger volume can fly to Beirut or Istanbul and continue by road into Syria, balancing time and cost, while sea freight to Latakia or Tartus and inland transfer is the usual route for bulk reconstruction materials. We can quote air and sea-air options side by side for the cargo parameters, helping the shipper balance transit time against cost.

For special cargo, Syrian Air accepts dangerous goods and live animal applications under IATA rules, and the shipper must declare accurately at booking and provide the relevant documents. Valuables can request high-value handling and escort services, and temperature-controlled cargo needs cooling equipment and ground support 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