Qatar-led Consortium Signs on for $4B Rebuild and Expansion of Damascus Airport

In a transfer to deliver a lot wanted funding to Syria, the Basic Authority of Civil Aviation has signed a $4-billion contract with a Qatar-led consortium to reconstruct and refurbish Damascus Worldwide Airport, together with a brand new five-star lodge.

Qatar’s UCC Holding leads the consortium that features subsidiary Urbacon Concessions Funding, New York Metropolis-based Property Investments USA LLC and Turkish development corporations Cengiz Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret AS and Kalyon Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret AS. The contract is a long-term build-own-operate settlement to rebuild and broaden the airport and services by means of a number of phases that can finally serve 31 million passengers a yr, in line with a press release launched by UCC Holding. The masterplan for the airport, together with terminals, runways, hangers and lodge, was drawn up by London-based Zaha Hadid Architects.

The airport contract follows a latest settlement between the Syrian authorities and UCC Holding enabling Urbacon Holding to construct and function eight energy era stations all through Syria with a complete capability of 5,000 MW.

Work on Terminal 2 and the five-star airport lodge are already underway, in line with UCC. The refurbished fashionable airport could have a big impression on Syria’s struggling efforts to rebuild its financial system and set the war-ravaged nation among the many worldwide group. its builders say.

It has been just one yr since Bashir al-Assad was overthrown as dictator of Syria and the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as soon as allied with Al Qaeda, seized the capitol of Damascus and declared a transitional authorities. The brand new regime’s efforts have led to the easing of sanctions by the U.S., the EU and the UK, and widening, if cautious, worldwide assist for financial growth.

Inside that point, the brand new interim President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has promised to implement political and financial reforms. Though some insurgent teams proceed to struggle with one another, the brand new authorities and the Israel Protection Forces, some political and financial progress has been made towards rebuilding a rustic destroyed by 13 years of civil battle. Syria faces huge challenges, however is receiving worldwide assist.

Assad’s ouster led to the reentry of Syria to the Arab fold and pledges by different nations to assist the brand new authorities and supply cash for funding and infrastructure. In latest months Syria has signed paperwork pertaining to at the very least 12 funding agreements price $14 billion for infrastructure initiatives.

Signing the contracts for a brand new airport “constitutes a strategic step towards rebuilding Syria’s air gateway, strengthening the nationwide financial system and opening new funding and employment alternatives,” stated Omar al-Hosari, new civil aviation authority head, stated. He’s the founder and CEO of Dubai-based UAS Journey Help. Hosari stated on X that he would work to make aviation a strategic sector that will function Syria’s gateway to the world.

A Lengthy Overdue Enlargement

The $40 billion airport price ticket is the biggest funding that Syria has ever seen. The ability  could have a world-class architectural design that displays the distinctive identification and spirit of Damascus, officers stated, Spain-based HESCO Hammada Engineering Providers will present detailed design and rehabilitation for Terminals 1 and a couple of, in addition to design for Terminal 3 and its services.   

The masterplan requires a renewed passenger terminal at Terminal 2 to be in operation by mid-2026. Terminal 1 is scheduled to be redesigned with up to date inside and repair services and function by the top of 2026. These will increase airport preliminary capability to six million folks yearly.  The completion of part one among Terminal 3 will improve the airport’s yearly capability to 16 million folks, though this part is predicted to take a number of years to finish.

Terminal 3 will incorporate superior operation services together with 32 gates with fashionable boarding bridges and a duty-free zone. Upon completion, 31 million folks will have the ability to use the airport over the course of a yr. The airport undertaking is predicted to create greater than 90,000 direct and oblique job alternatives throughout numerous phases of development and growth. 

The undertaking additionally features a $250 million financing program for brand new plane.

A number of different corporations may even participate within the undertaking together with Dar al-Handasah of Lebanon which is offering undertaking administration providers, design evaluation, website supervision and schedule verification. DG Jones and Companions, additionally based mostly in Lebanon, is offering contract administration, value management and amount surveying.

An announcement issued by authorized advisor White & Case on Dec. 4 known as the undertaking an ‘impactful funding in Syria.” Charbel Abou Charaf, chief of the negotiating staff, stated the contract “highlights the main target of overseas buyers on Syria, this time in a sector which is important for regional and worldwide connectivity.” White & Case stated the deal’s construction required growth of a multi-phase concession framework,