Syrian Arab Airlines
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Syrian Arab Airlines (Arabic: مؤسسة الطيران العربية السورية), alternative name Syrianair (السورية) is the national 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. The new Syrian Arab Airlines took over the routes previously controlled by Syrian Airways and United Arab Airlines. 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.
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. In summer 1963, Syrianair begin its expansion to the west, starting with Rome and Munich, then London and Paris. Sud Aviation Caravelle 10B3 joined the fleet in October 1965. In 1976, the airline acquired a Boeing 727-200 and 747SP.
In the 1970s, because of the closer political ties between Syria and the Soviet Union, Syrianair acquired Soviet aircraft. 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.
A joint service with Royal Jordanian to New York was opened in July 1978.
When the United States imposed sanctions on Syria, updates to Syrianair were interrupted until October of 1998, when Airbus A320-200 were bought.
The airline is wholly owned by the Syrian government and employs 5,325 staff.
Services
See full article: Syrian Arab Airlines destinationsNew Routes
Service to Damascus-Baghdad will start on October 2006, with 3 flights a week.Fleet
The Syrianair fleet consists of the following aircraft (at January 2005):
| Aircraft | # | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 6 | ||
| Boeing 727-200 | 6 | ||
| Boeing 747SP | 2 | ||
| Antonov An-24B | 2 | ||
| Antonov An-26 | 6 | ||
| Ilyushin Il-76M | 3 | ||
| Ilyushin Il-76T | 1 | ||
| Tupolev Tu-134B | 1 | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-40 | 5 | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-40K | 1 |
External links
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