Nachaat Numir, the chairman and managing director of Syrian Arab Airlines (Syrianair) has been living in the shadow of frequent outbursts of neighbouring conflicts and ostracisation of his country described by the
In spite of business being “good and growing”, Syrianair cannot fully exploit what he calls the “huge potential in the area and the market”, because of a shortage of aircraft. The airline has been planning to replace its two Boeing 747SPs and six 727-200s for some time, but has been unable to obtain replacement aircraft or spares for its existing fleet.
This has forced Syrianair to once again turn to
“The Russians are working to find a solution, and we hope to have the support and spare parts issue resolved by March 2007,” he says. But Nachaat admits that as all the airline’s engineers and technicians have experience with Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with only a few familiar with Russian aircraft, he would have preferred to look to the West for its fleet expansion and renewal. “The ideal solution is Western aircraft,” he says, “but the political situation is governing everything. We keep trying with Airbus and Boeing and there has been no closing of the doors.”
But all is not yet lost. The recent agreement by the
A contract has been signed with Sabre Airline Solutions to assist with re-organisation of the network, with the emphasis on eliminating unprofitable routes and boosting frequencies and timings on high-value destinations, such as
Naachat reconfirms that there are no plans to privatise Syrianair, but says the government has given permission for a joint-venture regional airline, which could be established with private local finance or an existing Arab airline as a strategic partner. A majority stake could be offered to the private sector, he says. The private sector is already involved in the building of a training centre for cabin crew at
The new regional airline would use a combination of jet and turboprop aircraft, ranging in capacity from 50-100 seats. Based in
Nachaat does not, however, rule out revisiting this possibility. “Whenever we start [to develop a project], we are faced with yet another political obstacle,” Nachaat says. It is a plight only to familiar to Syrian Arab Airlines.
Source: Airline Business