Damascus's international airport is to be redesigned with a new terminal and a five-star hotel under a $4 billion Qatari deal signed on Monday.
Investors led by Qatar's UCC Holdings plan to build a modern airport for Syria as the country opens up for travel and business. Airlines including Emirates and Etihad are resuming flights to Damascus after years of isolation under Bashar Al Assad's regime.
The Qatari company said the $4 billion project, the latest in a string of Gulf deals with Syria's new rulers, “represents the largest investment in Syria’s history”. The consortium also includes companies from Turkey and the US.
The plans include upgrading two existing terminals and building a third, with Zaha Hadid Architects lined up to help with the redesign. An engineering company involved in the project said the aim was a “modern urban identity that reflects the spirit and heritage of Damascus”.
Also envisaged is five-star hotel replacing an old hotel building on the current site. Organisers hope to finish revamping Terminal 1 by the end of 2026, offering room for six million passengers per year.
The longer-term plans are for as many as 31 million passengers. Moutaz Al Khayyat, the chairman of UCC Holding, said the aim was to raise Damascus International Airport to the level of “advanced regional airports”.
Investors are “determined to implement a project that reshapes the future of Damascus International Airport”, he said. He predicted that the plans “will lead to a wide economic transformation in the region”.
About $250 million are to be spent on new aircraft, Syrian state media said. It said the project could lead to the creation of 90,000 jobs.
The redevelopment marks “a strategic step towards rebuilding Syria’s air gateway, strengthening the national economy and opening new investment and employment opportunities,” said Omar Al Hosari, the head of the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority.
Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara says about $28 billion of investment has been pledged since he led a rebel offensive that toppled the Assad regime last year. Mr Al Shara's outreach to the Gulf and beyond has resulted in many sanctions being lifted by the US, EU and others, boosting hopes of recovery from the civil war.
Reconstruction needs are vast though, and many Syrians live beneath the poverty line. Small protests erupted last month after the government drastically raised prices for electricity, which is typically available for eight to 10 hours a day – more than under the rule of Mr Al Assad.
The new authorities are also grappling with outbreaks of sectarian violence involving Syria's minorities, including the Alawites and the Druze.
