Cham Wings Airlines
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| Founded | 2007 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Damascus International Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Aleppo International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Kuwait City, Sharjah | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Cham Miles | ||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | 17 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Damascus, Syria | ||||||
| Key people | Issam Shammout, Chairman | ||||||
| Website | chamwings.com | ||||||
Cham Wings Airlines (Arabic: أجنحة الشام للطيران, previously known as Sham Wing Airlines) is a private Syrian airline, with its head office located in Damascus, Syria.[1][2] The company slogan is Fly Beyond The Limits.
History
[edit]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 (AOC) issued by the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) on September 23, 2007.[3]
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 3 March 2008. In 2008, a newcomer entered the market under the name Syrian Pearl Airlines which was owned by Cham Holding at 69% (Rami Makhlouf major shareholder), Syrianair at 25%, and Aqeeq Aviation/Aquila Holding 6%, (Aqeeq and Al Deshtei Kuwaiti).[4]
The partnership with Syrian Air gave Syrian Pearl the opportunity to operate scheduled flights,[5] 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.
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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 United States sanctions for providing support to the Syrian government.[6][7] 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.[8] In June 2021, Ukraine blacklisted the airline due to the flights to Crimea.[9][10]
Due to ongoing 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis, Cham Wings Airlines terminated their flights from Damascus to Minsk on short notice in November 2021, stating they cannot distinguish between regular travellers and illegal migrants.[11] In December 2021, European Union sanctioned Cham Wings Airlines, accusing it of flying migrants to the Belarusian-Polish border and exacerbating the crisis.[12] Switzerland joined the EU sanctions on December 20.[13] EU sanctions imposed as a result of this accusation were lifted on 19 July 2022.[14][15]
Ownership
[edit]Cham Wings Airlines is 100% privately owned by Syrian businessman Issam Shammout. The airline is part of his family business, Shammout Groups which operate in the automotive, steel and freight sectors.[16]
Critics
[edit]Despite Russian invasion in Ukraine, Cham Wings Airlines continues to operate flights to Russia, maintaining regular services between Damascus and Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport.[17] Despite international sanctions imposed by the United States in 2016 and the European Union in 2021 and 2024, the airline has sustained its operations, including its Russian routes.[18] Notably, Cham Wings has been implicated in transporting Syrian mercenaries and engaging in activities that support the Syrian regime, leading to its inclusion in various sanctions lists. As of 2024, the airline remains active in the Russian market, continuing its flight services between Syria and Russia.[19]
Destinations
[edit]Cham Wings operates the following services (as of 30 October 2024):[20]
Fleet
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The Cham Wings Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft (as of August 2024):[24]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes/sources | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 4 | — | 8 | 156 | 164 | YK-BAA, YK-BAB, YK-BAC, YK-BAE, YK-BAG |
| 1 | 174 | 174 | ||||
| Total | 5 | — | ||||
Sponsorship
[edit]As of 2021, the airline has been the official jersey sponsor of the Syria national basketball team.
References
[edit]- ^ "Contact Us". Cham Wings Airlines — Fly Beyond The Limits. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
- ^ Gregory, Michael (January 9, 2020). Thevenot, Brian (ed.). "Exclusive: Informants in Iraq, Syria helped U.S. kill Iran's Soleimani - sources". Reuters.
- ^ "Our Company". Cham Wings Airlines — Fly Beyond The Limits. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
- ^ "Arab Aviation > Country Briefs > Syria > Syrian Pearl". www.arabaviation.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
- ^ "شركة طيران سورية خاصة تواجه منافسة محتدمة". صحيفة الوسط البحرينية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2016-05-22.
- ^ "US imposes new sanctions on Cham Wings Airlines". SANA News Agency. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Treasury Sanctions Additional Individuals and Entities in Response to Continuing Violence in Syria". Treasury.gov. December 23, 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-02-01.
- ^ "Einmal München-Damaskus und zurück" (in German). 30 January 2018.
- ^ "CHAM WINGS AIRLINES / SHAM WING AIRLINES / AJNEHAT AL SHAM / AL-SHAM WINGS". National Agency on Corruption Prevention.
- ^ "Україна повністю забороняє польоти російським авіакомпаніям. Чому і яким саме". BBC News Ukrainian (in Ukrainian). 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ spiegel.de - Syrian airline ends flights to Minsk (German) 13 November 2021
- ^ "EU, UK, US, Canada issue coordinated sanctions against Belarus regime". Deutsche Welle. 2 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02.
- ^ "Searching for subjects of sanctions". State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. Archived from the original on 2018-04-01.
- ^ "La UE suspende sanciones contra la aerolínea siria Cham Wings aprobadas en 2021" (in Spanish). El País. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "EU lifts sanctions on Syrian airline Cham Wings". Reuters. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "http://www.syriandays.com/finance/?page=show_det&select_page=2&id=2524 Archived 2017-02-01 at the Wayback Machine"
- ^ "Over 1,000 Companies Have Curtailed Operations in Russia—But Some Remain | Yale School of Management". som.yale.edu. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ "Russia flights: How sanctioned airlines keep flying". Reuters. 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ^ Memon, Dr Omar (2024-02-03). "5 Major Foreign Airlines That Are Still Flying To Russia In 2024". Simple Flying. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ Our Destinations - Cham Wings
- ^ Louay Houssamo (18 November 2024). "وصول أول رحلة جوية لشركة أجنحة الشام من دمشق إلى مطار لاهور في باكستان". Syrian Arab News Agency. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ استعدوا لتجربة ساحرة مع وجهتنا الجديدة من دمشق إلى لاهور وبالعكس لنأخذكم بمغامرات إلى قلب مدينة الحدائق والجمال والثقافة ابتداءً من 17/11/2024.
- ^ Liu, Jim (12 November 2018). "Cham Wings W18 Damascus – Moscow service changes". Routesonline. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Cham Wings Airlines Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2018-02-03.