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Mezzeh Airport Conversion and Modernization
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The project to convert and modernize Mezzeh Airport in Damascus is a plan by the General Authority of Civil Aviation to reclassify the airport from military use to a limited civil airport specialized in private and executive aviation, complementing Damascus International Airport, according to the Authority's statements as reported by SANA.
Objectives and Concept
In an interview with SANA on 27 July 2025, the Authority's chairman presented the conversion as one element of a broader development vision meant to:
- diversify aviation types in Syria;
- reduce the operating load on Damascus International Airport; and
- build a specialized investment and commercial draw.
He said the plan centers on a complete private aviation center able to host executive aircraft and modern electric aircraft, backed by supporting facilities inside a wider scheme called the "Aviation Community".
The Aviation Community
The Authority's chairman described the "Aviation Community" as a wider project that includes:
- hotels and business facilities;
- aviation training institutes; and
- residential and commercial complexes around the airport.
Stages and Studies
The Authority has said work will proceed in considered stages with the national institutions involved, while technical, operational, environmental and regulatory studies continue and weigh the built-up surroundings, noise levels, and the type and scale of air traffic, alongside the relevant legal and community considerations (SANA, 3 September 2026).
Background
In the same July 2025 interview, the chairman placed the Mezzeh Airport project among future studies for Greater Damascus and the central region, noting that the airports of Damascus and Aleppo were the national priority at that time.
UPDATE 23.09.2026
Initial rehabilitation works have begun. On 23 September 2026 SANA reported, citing the General Authority of Civil Aviation, that initial rehabilitation works had started at Mezzeh Airport ahead of its reclassification from military use to a limited civil airport specialized in private and executive aviation, complementing Damascus International Airport. The current phase covers debris removal and the rehabilitation of some air-navigation infrastructure, in parallel with completing the technical, operational and regulatory requirements for the reclassification. The Authority said the works are carried out in coordination with the national institutions concerned.
Preliminary plans and works announced earlier in September. On 3 September 2026 the head of the Authority's Media Department told SANA that the Authority was preparing preliminary plans for the reclassification and would begin, in the current phase, a set of preliminary works including debris removal and some air-navigation-related infrastructure works, with the project to proceed in stages while the technical, operational, environmental and regulatory studies are completed in parallel.
