FlyDar Becomes Syria's First Licensed Private Airline

FlyDar Airlines has received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport, becoming the first private Syrian airline to obtain such a license since liberation. The company is based at Damascus International Airport.

Licensing Details

Omar Al-Hasri, head of the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport, said in a post on the platform X that the certificate was granted after the company completed the regulatory, technical and operational requirements set by the authority, allowing it to move into the operational phase under the standards governing civil aviation in Syria.

National Expertise and a Gradual Launch Plan

FlyDar's general manager, Mohsen Al-Salal, said in a televised interview on Al-Ikhbariah that although the company is a new name in the Syrian market, it relies on national expertise spanning more than 20 years. He noted that he is a certified pilot, a graduate of the Ukrainian National Aviation Academy in 2005, and had previously sought to work in the country without success before returning to found the company.

Al-Salal explained that the company is currently in its founding and launch phase, operating domestic flights welcomed by the Civil Aviation Authority, alongside international flights directed at private sector clients. He said operations would roll out in stages, with the first stage focused on routes toward Europe, while destinations in the Middle East are being studied for potential added value to travelers.

Link to Airport Expansion Projects

Al-Salal pointed out that Syria's airport restructuring and expansion projects, including those at Damascus and Aleppo airports, are moving in a direction that supports the company's new investment model. He noted that airlines worldwide rely on international financing and strategic partnerships, adding that Syria has become an open environment for investment.

A New Regulatory Environment for the Sector

Al-Salal said the licensing confirms the Civil Aviation Authority's readiness to receive new investments and issue operating certificates, noting that what was previously restricted to specific entities is now open under transparent frameworks, a point also affirmed by authority head Omar Al-Hasri regarding the company's licensing.