Cham Wings Airlines
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| Founded | 2007 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Damascus International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
| Destinations | 12 | ||||||
| Company slogan | "Fly Beyond The Limits" | ||||||
| Headquarters | Damascus, Syria | ||||||
| Key people | Issam Shammout, (Chairman) | ||||||
| Website | www.chamwings.com | ||||||
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]
History
Cham Wings Airlines was established on 9 July 2006 as the first private airline in Syria by an 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 23 September 2007.[2] Although the AOC hold number 2 that comes 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 new comer entered the market under 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).[3] The partnership with Syrian Air gave Syrian Pearl the opportunity to operate scheduled flights[4] 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 2013, Kinda Airlines was established as the first private airline in Syrian to operate scheduled flights. The company never commenced its operations.
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 Qamishly.
In 2015, FlyDamas entered the market as the third national carrier.
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.[5]
Destinations
Cham Wings operates the following services (as of March 2016):[6]
Terminated Destinations
Fleet
The Cham Wings Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft (as of August 2016):[7]
| Aircraft | In fleet | Order | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-211 | 1 | 0 | 156 | Registration YK-BAB |
| Airbus A320-212 | 1 | 0 | 174 | Registration YK-BAA |
| Total | 2 | 0 |
References
- ↑ "Contact Us". Cham Wings Airlines — Fly Beyond The Limits. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "http://www.syriandays.com/finance/?page=show_det&select_page=2&id=2524"
- ↑ https://www.chamwings.com/en/destinations/
- ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2016 (Part Two)". Airliner World (November 2016): 33.
