SYRIA: Syrianair Plans To Expand Its Fleet To 10 Aircraft By The End Of The Year
DAMASCUS, Syria
- Anwar Akkad, CEO of the Syrian Aviation Holding Company, said the company is expanding its fleet to meet rising air transport demand from the Syrian community abroad.
- Akkad stated the company added two leased aircraft to service and expects three or four more to join. The state-owned airline operates five A320-200s of which two are active. Another A320 is wet-leased from Heston Airlines for flights to the European Union while a 737-500 is leased from local Syrian start-up FlyDar. Syrianair's pair of A340-300s are currently inactive as are a pair of ATR72-500s. It also runs an Il76 and Tu134 although their activity is not tracked by ADS-B sites.
- Akkad said the carrier aims to reach 10 aircraft by year-end, tripling the fleet size from the start of the year.
- Akkad said fleet growth is the first step to improve services for Syrians abroad and to integrate the airline into Syria's tourism sector.
- Akkad said future plans target foreign tourists and position the airline as an East-West air link.
- Akkad said plans from next year include the option to double the fleet again by the end of this year while adding destinations.
- Last year, Qatar's UCC Holding extended USD 250 million in financing to the Syrian government for the purchase of up to ten A320s for Syrianair.
- Syrianair took delivery on 29 August of the first two of eight A320-family aircraft under its fleet modernisation programme.
- The first, (MSN 3956 ¦ YK-AKI), is an A320-214 with 156 seats (12 business, 144 economy); the second, (MSN 5296 ¦ YK-AKJ), is an A320-232 with identical capacity.
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