Cham Wings Airlines


Cham Wings Airlines is a private Syrian airline with its head office in Damascus, Syria. The company slogan is Fly Beyond The Limits.

History

Cham Wings Airlines was established on 9 July 2006 as the first private airline in Syria by independent Syrian businessman Issam Shammout. The main hub for the airline is Damascus International Airport. The company obtained officially an Aircraft Operators Certificate issued by the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority on September 23, 2007. Although the AOC comes second after the main national carrier of Syria, Syrian Air, the AOC authorised the company to operate non-scheduled charter flights only.
The company leased one MD aircraft and commenced its first flight from Damascus to Baghdad International Airport on March 3, 2008.
In 2008, a newcomer entered the market under the name Syrian Pearl Airlines of ownership: Cham Holding 69%, Syrianair 25%, Aqeeq Aviation/Aquila Holding 6%,. The partnership with Syrian Air gave Syrian Pearl the opportunity to operate scheduled flights, unlike Cham Wings which struggled in operating charter flights to destinations that Syrian Air hardly approves. Even though Syrian Pearl never started its operations, Cham Wings could not turn profitable operating only charter flights. The company terminated its operations in 2012 following the unrest in Syria.
In 2014, Cham Wings Airlines obtained the approval to operate scheduled flights becoming the second national carrier in Syria. It then recommenced its operations to serve destinations like Beirut, Kuwait, Baghdad, and Qamishli.
In 2016, it was targeted by US Sanctions.
In 2018 the airline advertised transporting Syrian refugees in Germany from Munich to Damascus and back, which can lead to the loss of their asylum status.

Ownership

Cham Wings Airlines is 100% privately owned by Syrian businessman Issam Shammout where it seems the funding comes from his family business Shammout Groups which operate in automotive, steel and freight sectors.

Destinations

Cham Wings operates the following services :
CityCountryAirportNotes
AmmanJordanQueen Alia International Airport
BaghdadIraqBaghdad International Airport
BasraIraqBasra International Airport
BeirutLebanonRafic Hariri International Airport
DamascusSyriaDamascus International Airport
ErbilIraqErbil International Airport
KhartoumSudanKhartoum International Airport
Kuwait CityKuwaitKuwait International Airport
MoscowRussiaSheremetyevo International Airport
MuscatOmanMuscat International Airport
NajafIraqAl Najaf International Airport
TehranIranTehran Imam Khomeini International Airport
IsfahanIranIsfahan International Airport
QamishliSyriaQamishli Airport
SharjahUnited Arab EmiratesSharjah International Airport
YerevanArmeniaZvartnots International Airport

Fleet

The Cham Wings Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft :