The origin of Syrian Arab Airlines can be traced back to 1946, when its forerunner Syrian Airways was established. Its first internal and external flights were carried out using helicopters. Syrian Air was established in October 1961, by the Government of Syria, to succeed Syrian Airways. In 1963, when the Syrian Revolution took place, the airline entered jet age, by acquiring four Super-Caravel jet-engine planes. Its western journey began with flights to Rome & Munich. Gradually, it came to be known as SyrianAir.
Syrian Arab Airlines is the national airline of Syria. It operates both domestic and international services and its main base is Damascus International Airport. Syrian Air is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization. Currently, the airline employs a staff of over 10000 and is wholly owned by the Syrian government. Syrian Arab Airlines has code share agreements with Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Yemenia Airlines.
The fleet consists of Airbus A320-200, Ilyushin Il-76M, Tupolev Tu-154B, Yak-40K, McDonnell Douglas MD-11, and Boeing 747SP. It has leased the two Ilyushin Il-76M aircrafts and one Airbus A320-200. Syrian Arab Airlines currently operates scheduled international services to over 51 destinations in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North Africa. It covers Russia, Romania, Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and U.K. In Asia, it serves destinations like Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and UAE while it caters to Egypt, Sudan, Libya and Algeria in Northern Africa. In India, the airline flies to Delhi and Mumbai.