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Aleppo International Airport

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Aleppo International Airport

مطار حلب الدولي

Matar Halab al-Duwaliyy
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Syria
OperatorDirectorate General of Civil Aviation
ServesAleppo, Syria
Hub for
Time zoneAST (UTC+03:00)
Elevation AMSL1,276 ft / 389 m
Coordinates36°10′50″N 37°13′27″E / 36.18056°N 37.22417°E / 36.18056; 37.22417
Map
ALP/OSAP is located in Syria
ALP/OSAP
ALP/OSAP
Location in Syria
ALP/OSAP is located in Asia
ALP/OSAP
ALP/OSAP
ALP/OSAP (Asia)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27 3,110 9,547 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Aleppo International Airport (Arabic: مطار حلب الدولي) (IATA: ALP, ICAO: OSAP) is an international airport serving Aleppo, Syria. The airport serves as a secondary hub for Syrian Air and Cham Wings.

History

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Early history

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Australian troops with Morane-Saulnier MS.406 fighters of Groupe de Chasse I/7 at Aleppo-Nayrab airfield in July 1941 during the Syrian campaign
Australian soldiers in front of Morane-Saulnier MS.406s at Aleppo airfield in June 1941

The history of the airport dates back to the beginning of the 20th century during the French Mandate. In 1924, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines made their first flight from Amsterdam to Batavia, Dutch East Indies, through the airport in Aleppo.[3][a] The airport was upgraded and developed over the years until 1999 when the new current terminal was inaugurated.[4]

Syrian civil war

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Russian soldiers near the airport during the Battle of Aleppo

In January 2013, the facility closed due to the Syrian Civil War,[5] but after Syrian Army advances were made in the area, the airport briefly re-opened on 22 January 2014, welcoming its first civilian flight in more than a year (flights were suspended in December 2012), carrying foreign journalists to the city.[6]

Following the Syrian government's recapture of eastern Aleppo during the Battle of Aleppo, an airplane conducted its first flight from the airport in four years. The flight, conducted on 5 January 2017, was a trial attempt by the government before the airport fully opened to the public.[7]

On 17 February 2020, Syrian Transport Minister Ali Hammoud announced that the airport would resume civilian operations, with the first flight from Damascus to Aleppo scheduled for February 19, and an additional route to Cairo soon thereafter.[8]

On 1 March 2020, the airport was targeted by Turkish drone and artillery strikes during the Operation Spring Shield.[9]

After an eight-year hiatus due to the Syrian Civil War, flights resumed on 19 February 2020, with the inaugural flight originating from Damascus International Airport.[10]

On 15 January 2021, scheduled flights to Beirut and Erbil were resumed after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

Israeli air raids

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2022

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In June 2022, after the Israeli bombing of Damascus International Airport, all Cham Wings Air flights from Damascus were rerouted to Aleppo.[12]

On 6 September, Israeli Air Force warplanes struck the airport from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Latakia, with air-to-surface missiles damaging the runway and putting it out of service.[13]

2023

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On 7 March 2023, the Israeli airstrikes hit the airport, targeting alleged Iranian weapons transfers. The Syrian transport ministry said that the delivery of humanitarian aid to Idlib Governorate following the February earthquake would be rerouted to Damascus and Latakia Airports after the "Israeli aggression".[14] Later that month, on 22 March, Israel launched missiles at the airport for the third time in six months.[15] On 1 May, Israeli airstrikes which targeted ammunition depot at the military airport killed a Syrian soldier and injured seven people including two civilians.[16] On 28 August, another Israeli airstrike hit the airport, causing runway damage and shutting the airport down until the following day.[17][18]

On 12 October, Israel launched a large missile attack against both Aleppo and Damascus airports, which damaged their runways and made them temporarily closed, during the skirmishes which occurred across the border, in contemporary with Israel–Hamas war.[19][20] Two days later, Israel retargeted the airport from the direction of the sea, west of Latakia, which put it out of service again.[21] On 22 October, both Aleppo and Damascus airports were hit simultaneously, the third attack in two weeks.[22]

2024

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On 28 March, an airstrike by Israel after midnight aimed at an arms depot in Jibrin, near Aleppo International Airport, led to the deaths of 36 Syrian soldiers and 6 Hezbollah fighters, according to SOHR.[23]

Rebels' takeover

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On 30 November 2024, the Syrian Democratic Forces took control of the airport amidst the attack on Aleppo and the subsequent withdrawal of the pro-government forces.[24] Afterwards, militants with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took over the airport,[25] and captured 10 military aircraft.[26]

Facilities

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Aleppo International Airport has a modern terminal which combines modern and Islamic architecture. The total area is 38,000 square meters over four floors. The airport capacity is 1.7 million passengers a year.

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Cham Wings Airlines Abu Dhabi, Beirut,[27] Damascus, Erbil, Kuwait City,[28] Sharjah, Yerevan[29]
FlyBaghdad Erbil
Mahan Air Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Syrian Air Beirut, Damascus

Notes

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  1. ^ The flight later became a regular route in 1929 until the emergence of WWII.

References

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  1. ^ "Airport information for OSAP". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
  2. ^ Airport information for ALP at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. ^ "1924 - Dutch Aviation". dutch-aviation.nl.
  4. ^ Aleppo Int. Airport Historical Overview Archived 9 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Aleppo airport reopens after a year: Syria state media Archived 17 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine The Daily Star, 22 January 2014
  6. ^ This is your captain: We'll shortly be arriving at Syria's most dangerous city CNN, 23 January 2014
  7. ^ Leith Fadel. "First airplane takes off from Aleppo International Airport in 4 years". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Syrian forces consolidate control of Aleppo, air strikes under way". Reuters. 17 February 2020. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  9. ^ "الطائرات التركية المسيرة والمدفعية التابعة لها تتناوب على استهداف قوات النظام في حماة وإدلب وحلب بشكل هستيري". SOHR. March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  10. ^ "After more than eight-year hiatus, Aleppo International Airport receives first flight coming from Damascus". Syrian Arab News Agency. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Syria's Aleppo International Airport seeks direct flights with Moscow". TASS. 5 April 2021.
  12. ^ Sarah Dadouch (14 June 2022). "Syria says Damascus airport operations suspended after Israeli strikes". Washington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Israeli air attack damages Syria's Aleppo airport, takes it out of service". Reuters. 6 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Syria says Israeli air raid takes Aleppo airport out of service". Al Jazeera. 7 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Israel launches missile attack on Syria's Aleppo airport: Gov't". Al Jazeera. 22 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Israel launches deadly air raid on Aleppo airport: media". Al Jazeera. 1 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Aleppo airport out of service after Israeli air attack: State media". Al Jazeera. 28 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Syria's Aleppo airport to resume operations following air strike -ministry". Reuters. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Syria says Damascus and Aleppo airports hit by Israeli missiles". BBC News. 12 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Syria says Israeli missiles hit Damascus, Aleppo airports". Reuters. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Israeli attack on Syrian Aleppo airport puts it out of service". Reuters. 14 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Syria says Israel hit Damascus, Aleppo airports again amid Gaza bombing". Al Jazeera. 22 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Syria accuses Israel after strikes kill more than 40 near Aleppo". BBC. 29 March 2024.
  24. ^ "After the withdrawal of Iranian militias and regime forces. Kurdish forces deploy in Aleppo International Airport, Nubl and Zahraa and control the checkpoints" (in Arabic). SOHR. 30 November 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  25. ^ Farmer, Ben (30 November 2024). "Syrian rebels capture Aleppo airport as they seize 'most' of city". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  26. ^ "الفصائل استولت على 10 طائرات.. الحدث في مطار النيرب". العربية (in Arabic). 2 December 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  27. ^ "First plane arrives in Aleppo airport from Beirut". Syrian Arab News Agency. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  28. ^ "اعتباراً من3 حزيران القادم… أجنحة الشام تشغل رحلتين أسبوعياً بين حلب والكويت" (in Arabic). Syrian Arab News Agency. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  29. ^ "First regular Syian external flight from Yerevan arrives in Aleppo International Airport". Syrian Arab News Agency. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
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