The Damascus International Airport project is a large-scale redevelopment and expansion program worth about 4 billion USD.

According to SANA, the project was announced through a strategic memorandum of understanding signed on 6 August 2025 with a UCC-led consortium, and the final concession contracts were signed on 24 November 2025.

It aims to:

• Completely modernize the existing airport (terminals, runways, systems).

• Build a new passenger terminal in phases.

• Transform the airport into a regional hub with capacity up to 31 million passengers per year once all phases are complete.

The redevelopment is awarded under concession contracts covering the development, expansion, construction and operation of the airport, to a multinational consortium led by UCC Holding / UrbaCon Concessions of Qatar, with Turkish and United States partners:

• UrbaCon Trading and Contracting / UCC Holding (Qatar) - consortium leader, lead developer and main investor.

• Kalyon Insaat (Turkey) - partner, major Turkish infrastructure contractor.

• Cengiz Insaat (Turkey) - partner, another large Turkish construction firm with airport experience.

• Assets Investments (United States) - partner for financing and operations.

Components

1. Refurbishment of Existing Terminals (T1 and T2)

• Full renovation of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2: passenger halls, boarding gates, baggage systems, security, and aircraft stands.

• Upgrade of air traffic management systems (navigation, communications, radar) in line with ICAO standards.

2. New Terminal (Terminal 3), Built in Three Phases

• The first phase of Terminal 3 adds capacity for 10 million passengers per year, bringing total airport capacity to about 16 million. SANA's report of the signing gave a horizon of about three years.
• The second and third phases of Terminal 3 each add another 7.5 million passengers approximately, with a long-term target of 31 million passengers per year once all phases are complete.
• Terminal 3 is planned with up to 32 gates equipped with modern passenger boarding bridges and a duty-free zone.

Design and supervision:

• Architectural and engineering design is led by HESCO Global, with input from Zaha Hadid Architects on the terminal building.

3. Hotel and Commercial / Free Zone

• Construction of a 5-star on-airport hotel targeting transit passengers, crews, and conferences.

• Development of a commercial and duty-free zone with shops, restaurants, and services.

4. Logistics and Cargo Facilities

• The project includes modern cargo facilities and a logistics free zone, aiming to position Damascus as a regional freight node, though detailed technical specifications have not been fully disclosed publicly.

Capacity, Timeline, and Phasing

Current traffic

• Damascus International Airport handled 1,434,998 passengers in calendar year 2025. Monthly traffic is volatile: 148,305 passengers in May 2026 across 1,532 flights and 13 airlines, against 34,347 in April 2026, the month in which operations at the airport resumed on 8 April after a suspension.

Targeted milestones

• Existing terminals (T1 and T2): fully refurbished, with capacity increased to around 6 million passengers per year by the end of 2026, according to the aviation authority and UCC.
• Medium term: the first phase of Terminal 3 in service, total capacity around 16 million passengers per year.
• Long term: completed terminal with expansions, target capacity of 31 million passengers per year.

Announced capacity milestones are targets stated at the award and have not been independently verified against construction progress.

Update, 14 April 2026: first-phase works and Terminal 2

SANA reported on 14 April 2026 that work on Terminal 2 at Damascus International Airport was speeding up, as part of the first phase of the development agreement with UCC Holding. The director of government communication at the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport said the first phase of the works, which he described as the hardest in the project, had been completed, including the removal of the former Hajj terminal and the groundwork infrastructure. He said the opening of Terminal 2 was expected soon. Urbacon's site manager said the ongoing works cover the redevelopment of the former pilgrims' terminal, which is Terminal 2, the infrastructure, the car parks in front of it, which were close to completion, and a new extension of the building, and that the car park area exceeds 20,000 square metres.

According to the communication director, operations are to move from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2, after which Terminal 1 is to be refurbished. Once Terminals 1 and 2 are finished, preparation of Terminal 3, the future new Damascus International Airport, is to begin. He said total capacity would rise to about 31 million passengers a year after the construction of all three terminals. The plan announced at the signing of the final contracts (UCC Holding release, 24 November 2025) was to bring Terminal 2 into operation before the coming Hajj season and to finish the redevelopment of Terminal 1 by the end of 2026, raising capacity to 6 million passengers.

SANA describes the Terminal 2 works as part of the first phase of the agreement, and so does UCC in a LinkedIn post about the terminal. This first phase is separate from the three construction phases of the new Terminal 3 described above.

Update, 3 May 2026: Terminal 2 works inspected

On Sunday, 3 May 2026, the head of the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport, Omar al-Hosari, toured the construction works on Terminal 2 at Damascus International Airport, as part of monitoring the progress of the airport's development and its capacity expansion. According to the authority, the works under way fall under the strategic agreement with an international group of companies led by UCC. Two of his assistants and several department heads joined the tour, which covered completion rates, the stages under way and the timetable set for finishing the works. Al-Ikhbariya reported that earlier the same day the authority advised travelers to allow for their arrival at the airport in advance, since the rehabilitation works could cause road congestion and delays.

Update, 7 August 2026: passenger traffic

The General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport reported that Damascus International Airport handled 1,434,998 passengers in 2025 (715,392 arriving and 719,606 departing) on 12,476 flights.

Monthly figures published by the authority in 2026: 34,347 passengers in April on 492 flights and nine airlines; 148,305 in May on 1,532 flights and 13 airlines; and 243,260 in July on 2,088 flights and 16 airlines (147,318 arriving and 95,942 departing).

Operations were affected by suspensions that the authority announced in response to regional developments. On 8 April 2026 it announced the reopening of all air corridors and the resumption of regular operations at the airport. On 8 June 2026 it extended the closure of the southern air corridors and the suspension of operations at the airport until 11:00 p.m. that day, then announced the same day that the southern corridors had reopened and operations at the airport had resumed at 4:00 p.m.

Update, 29 September 2026: airport road works and Investment Authority visit

Airport road. SANA reported on 8 September 2026 on the rehabilitation of the airport road, about 21 kilometres in both directions from the fifth interchange on the southern ring road to the airport entrance. SANA presents it as a project of the General Establishment for Road Transport, and the head of the establishment's Damascus branch said the works are carried out by UCC. The project manager at the Qatari company said Kalyon and Cengiz are taking part alongside it. The head of the establishment's Damascus branch put progress at about 20 percent and expected the works to finish by mid-October 2026. SANA describes the works as part of an integrated project to develop infrastructure and improve the road network. UCC Holding's release of 24 November 2025 listed the start of improvements to the main road leading to the airport among the works begun at the signing.

Investment Authority visit. Syria Property Hub reported on 29 September 2026 that the Syrian Investment Authority made a field visit to the project to review progress and discuss support for the coming phases. The report says the authority's head confirmed its readiness to provide whatever could speed up implementation, and that the authority is working to bring the project under the Investment Law. It adds that the proposed measures include settling the status of foreign workers on the project under the approved rules.