Saudi Arabia's BinDawood-led Elaf sets 2027 start for Aleppo airport upgrades

16/09/2026 07:11 AST

Improvement works at Aleppo International Airport will begin in early 2027, as Saudi Arabia's BinDawood-led Elaf Investment Fund and Syria advance the wider airport project.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport of Syria and Elaf Investment Fund said in a joint statement that the existing airport's improvement program will run in parallel with the structuring and financial close of the new facility.

The project forms part of wider efforts to rebuild Syria's infrastructure and reconnect the country with regional and international markets.

Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city and a major commercial center, is expected to play a key role in supporting trade, tourism and economic activity as reconstruction efforts advance.

The announcement follows high-level meetings in Jeddah, where the two sides reviewed progress across legal, technical, commercial, and financing workstreams, including field surveys, preliminary studies, and a business plan, as well as a financial model and bankability study.

Aleppo airport project advances
Omar Hisham Al-Hosari, chairman of the Syrian authority, said that the aviation regulator looks with confidence to its partnership with the BinDawood-led fund.

"The new Aleppo International Airport carries promising regional prospects and returns the skies of northern Syria to the global aviation map with the momentum that Aleppo and Syria deserve," he said.

The statement noted that the business plan, financial model, and bankability study for the new airport had advanced significantly and were under joint review, while engagement with international financing institutions had begun.

For his part, Abdulrazzaq BinDawood, chairman of the fund and BinDawood Investment Co., said: "We firmly believe that the new Syria has returned strongly to the map of the global economy," adding that the project reflects the Saudi leadership's priority of supporting Syria and its aspirations for closer Saudi-Syrian cooperation.

He added: "The Aleppo International Airport project is a practical embodiment of this direction; one we pursue with steady steps and full commitment to our partners and to the people of Aleppo and Syria."

Arab News