Cham Wings Airlines
Cham Wings Airlines (Arabic: أجنحة الشام للطيران, previously known as Sham Wing Airlines) is a private Syrian airline with its head office in Damascus, Syria.[1][2] The company slogan is Fly Beyond The Limits.
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 2007 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Damascus International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
| Destinations | 12 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Damascus, Syria | ||||||
| Key people | Issam Shammout, Chairman | ||||||
| Website | www.chamwings.com | ||||||
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 (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 March 3, 2008.
In 2008, a newcomer entered the market under the name Syrian Pearl Airlines of ownership: Cham Holding 69% (Rami Makhlouf major shareholder), Syrianair 25%, 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.
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.[6]
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.[7]
Ownership
Cham Wings Airlines is 100% privately owned by Syrian businessman Issam Shammout. He is part of his family business, Shammout Groups which operate in automotive, steel and freight sectors.[8]
Destinations
Cham Wings operates the following services (as of September 2019):[9]
Fleet
The Cham Wings Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft (as of January 2018):[11]
| Aircraft | In fleet | Order | Passengers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 3 | — | 156 | ||
| 1 | 174 | ||||
| Total | 4 | — | |||
References
- "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. 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. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- "Einmal München-Damaskus und zurück" (in German).
- "http://www.syriandays.com/finance/?page=show_det&select_page=2&id=2524 Archived 2017-02-01 at the Wayback Machine"
- Our Destinations - Cham Wings
- 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.