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Damascus Airport Passenger Reviews and Damascus Airport Traveller Reports
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DAMASCUS AIRPORT customer review : 13 February 2012 by J Swed (Australia) |
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Rating : 9/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities | |
Recommended |  |
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The airport's renovation seemed to come in handy, no, looking much more sophisticated. On the way to the
airport, I couldn't but help notice the new terminal that is in construction. Duty free is excellent with well
anticipated manners displayed by staff. The airport itself handles more than Beirut international airport,
although, it is much smaller in size. Restaurants sell reasonable food at magnificent prices. New bars have
opened throughout the airport as well as ATMs and other necessities.
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DAMASCUS AIRPORT customer review : 2 May 2011 by J Delmonte (UK)
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |
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 | Queuing |
 | Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
I first arrived in Damascus in Feb 1997. Since then I have been back and forth almost 1-2 times
a year since then. I am an Englishman who met and married a Syrian girl in 1998. The airport in
my view was more relaxed in the old days, whereby you could check in and walk back into the
lounge/cafe for tea etc with your friends and family.
Damascus Airport customer review : 17 June 2010 by Paul Harvey
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Customer Rating : 3/5 |  |
Our late night arrival was surprisingly easy to manage. After a coached journey to the
terminal (some planes use jetties), it was straight into the immigration hall (currency
exchange immediately on the right) which had a couple of lanes for “non Arab passports”. The
lines moved quite quickly and we were soon into the baggage hall where our bags were waiting.
Customs took no interest and one is soon landside where there is an ATM (one of a small
working number in Syria), a Currency Exchange and minor shops. We were met on arrival so I
cannot comment on ground transport arrangements but there did seem to be numerous “taxi
drivers” seeking fares. There are many worse airports throughout the world, most of which are major airports.
Damascus Airport customer review : 15 September 2009 by Ralph Loehner
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Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
It is not the most beautiful airport in the world but not the worst! I always found it OK -
speed to check-in, pass passport control is OK. Shopping cheap and wide range of products -
VIP Lounge comfortable, but old fashioned. The information system is getting better and
friendliness of officials is good.
DAMASCUS AIRPORT review : 9 June 2009 : by Kris Janssen
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Customer Rating : 4/5 | |
The refurbishment is finished. Everything looked clean and new. Fast check-in. Information
screens were giving correct and up-to-date information. Good catering facilities to have a
drink, coffee or sandwich. Cheap duty free shops which are not the biggest but still have a
good assortment of quality products, spirits, sweets, perfumes, etc.
DAMASCUS AIRPORT review : 10 March 2009 : by Roy Clogstoun
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
Damascus airport must be one of the worst airports in the world. We were checking into a Saudi
a flight and no information was provided on the overhead screens as to which gate was to be
used for checking in. In this end one had to push trollys to all the gates to guess where the
Saudia passengers were being checked in. At each counter there was a guy loading baggage on
the belt and it was expected that we hand him some money. The regulation of smoking in the
airport was appalling, the whole airport stank of cigarettes, including the toilets. The
airport was undergoing refurbishment but the experience was chaotic.
DAMASCUS AIRPORT review : 2 February 2009 : by O Schmidt
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
The airport is under refurbishment, and concrete dust coats everything. Still, the only
working departure display is in the duty free on the upper floor. The zone between entrance
and gates is declared non smoking area with one bathroom size glass cage for hundreds of
potential smokers. Consequently, the final pre-takeoff-smoke is shifted to the gate waiting
room where all passengers including babies and allergics spent half an hour in an air which
one could cut out with a knife and use as durable construction material.
DAMASCUS AIRPORT review : 19 November 2008 : by D Fay
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
Damascus Airport gives an unfairly poor impression of Syria. The arrivals area was basic but
immigration was conducted quite quickly if without charm. Departure was simply chaotic. As another
reviewer pointed out, the check in desks have no signage. We found our desk by a process of
elimination by wandering up to each desk in turn, checking the small paper sign and concluding that
ours must be another one. The queue moved painfully slowly with each check in taking 5 minutes.
When we reached the top of the queue we realised why - it appeared that every piece of information
on out e-ticket had to be keyed in to the computer. The duty free seemed to house the only
departure monitor in the whole airport. Worryingly our flight did not appear. We then noticed that
the flight number and time on the boarding passes were different to those on our tickets - I guess
due to typing errors. Our flight departed at the time on the ticket, if we had believed he boarding
pass we would have missed it ! While we passed though several security checks, no-one seemed to be
checking the magnetic gates and at the departure gate I noticed that a door onto the apron was
unlocked and unguarded. I guess the authorities figure they have other ways of preventing terrorist
attacks. The departure tax is a swingeing SYP1500 though what happens to this money is not evident -
certainly not on the airport facilities. Just treat the airport as an experience and don't let it
put you off visiting Syria.
DAMASCUS AIRPORT review : 7 October 2008 : by H Patak
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
Note that the airport departure tax is SP1500 for over 12s. All taxis from airport are run by
private company and are fixed rate. The cost is around $35. All previous comments re chaos at
departure. excessive zeal by document checking officials, overcrowding etc are still as relevant as
ever. A thoroughly depressing experience in what is a friendly, generous and wonderful country.
Damascus Airport review by Neville Calleja
3 June 2008 Customer Rating : 
Expect to be ripped off by the taxi drivers taking you into and out of the city. Don't go with any
of the people hassling you as soon as they see you come out of the airport for an airport taxi.
They would charge you a mind-blowing 15euros to the city. The immigration process was fairly OK
even if slow, but they could do with some signposting in English. Back from the airport I was
ripped off 1000 SYPs by a yellow cab. The check in process is appalling - I don't know for what
does one pay 200 syp departure tax. The check in desks are in a severe need for refurbishment. My
checkin desk was not even shown on the noticeboard and then a fellow passenger showed me to my
checkin desk - indeed it had a handwritten sign stuck with sticky tape to the roof saying 'LONDON'!
The duty free section is quite large and varied and one could make a few decently priced purchases
from here. One looks forward to visiting the airport when the refurbishment currently being
undertaken by a Malaysian company is completed.
Damascus Airport review by T Foran
22 June 2007 Customer Rating : 
Yes, the check-in process is slow. I have never seen anyone read
documents as thoroughly as the Syrians do. There are several stages of
scrutiny that one must pass before gaining entry to the pax area. But
Syrians are friendly and generous people. Duty free is dirt cheap and in
Syria it is available to domestic flights. Damascus features some of the
best people watching that I have experienced anywhere. There are very
few flights going to Europe, and virtually none going to North America.
Most flights are going to the Middle East, or Africa. The array of
gowns, headgear, and you-name-it clothing was charming and fascinating.
Damascus Airport review by Fed Kaprotz
19 January 2007 Customer Rating : n/a
Damascus airport has two faces. The arrivals hall and the baggage
reclaim hall really need some work as it looks as though they are
falling apart. The baggage carousels in particular are too worn.
However, baggage reclaim was fast. The departures area is slightly
different from other airports, in that only the passenger can go to the
area with the check-in desks. Check-in can be very slow, even with short
lines of people. Thankfully, they don't seem to be too bothered about
overweight luggage. Everyone needs to pay a departure tax before
passport control - don't forget this! Then, before you get to your gate,
you can access some shops selling newspapers, tobacco and coffee.
Damascus Airport review by Hani Al-Ahdal
6 May 2006
I was happy with the acceptable duty free with good prices, arrival at
immigration is terrible with long queues and people cutting through the
lines with ease - expect a minimum of 40 minutes to pass the immigration
desks specially at peak hours. The security check at the departure hall
is chaotic and it may be wise to use your shoulders to shrug your way
through. Check in counters are acceptable depending on your airline.
Damascus Airport review by Steven Geerling
2 January 2006
Ride from city to airport should not cost more than 200 Syrian pounds in
a metered taxi. Airport was quiet at that moment which could not prevent
the chaos at the first security checkpoint. Passport checked four times
(including immigration and check-in). Although I had an e-ticket with LH
and OS, it turned out that DAM is not an e-ticket station and could not
accept this. Airline staff at check-in phoned the Austrian office
downtown trying to solve the problem but they couldn't change it either
which meant that I had to buy a new ticket for the DAM-VIE leg. VIE-AMS
could be continued on the e-ticket again although not without more
hassle at VIE itself. Airline-staff courteous and friendly. Executive
Lounge is roomy with good food and several liquors (it's still an islamic
country). Prices in the duty-free shops looked okay. Don't know about
the toilets which have been mentioned in previous comments.
Damascus Airport review by T Waugh
3 December 2005
Damascus Airport was quite an experience! The duty free, as others have
said IS amazingly cheap, and very well stocked. When I got to
Immigration, the fun began. The visa was fine, but the officials I met
had never seen a New Zealand Passport before! After a few phone calls
to HQ in town, they let me in with a lot of apologies. They were very
friendly though. Once through, there is an ATM to withdraw cash, a
currency conversion booth or two, and a counter where you pay 600 syrian
pounds for a taxi voucher, then they see you into the taxi.
Going out, even more of an experience! 75 syrian pounds to get a
baggage trolley and get in, then someone takes off with the trolley 'to
whisk you through further" then it's baksheesh for another hundred
pounds... not a lot of money, just annoying. Passport check at front
of check in hall. Check in were very friendly, another passport check.
Then you pay two hundred pounds departure tax, then go for the third
passport check... this is the proper passport check, departure Syria.
The toilets are holes in the ground and they stink. The only thing that
really bugged me was being locked in a glass cage with a hundred or so
other people for an hour and a half while we waited for the aeroplane to
arrive. If there had been toilets and water available after passport
control it would not have been too bad -thank goodness I happened to
have some water and juice with me just in case!!
Damascus Airport review by Christopher Laylem
15 July 2004
I know that summer is the busiest time for air traffic in the Middle East. I
was expecting to go through hell during my connection at Damascus International Airport. I was
completely wrong. When i arrived from London, the airport was experiencing its maximum traffic. My
connection time was 5 hours. I was amazingly surprised by the low prices at the fantastic duty free.
It was one of the nicest i have ever seen. I got a great deal on an EOS camera; 90 dollars less than
the price in England! Apart from the duty free, i spent time at the modern internet cafe. I was able
to complete a lot of work there. I also enjoyed a nice meal at the cafe. I was able to pass the time
enjoyable. I arrived at the boarding gate, it was full, however, the tickets were processed
immediately, and i was greeted with a warm smile. I believe that Damascus International Airport has
really made efforts to be recognized as a world class airport.
Damascus Airport review by G Chew
9
July 2004
During peak time, the check-in area is near impossible to navigate. Most passengers just push their
way to the front of queues, so if you want to be served, you also have to push and be ruthless.
Airside, the airport is clean, and the duty-free is excellent (very cheap), though apart from shop,
there is nothing else to do - though you spend so much time queuing in immigration and for x-rays
and check-in and to buy airport tax etc etc etc, that there's never much time left.
Damascus Airport review by D Anand
12
February 2004
Damascus airport is small but clean. The toilets on first floor have no water so rush to ground
floor is heavy particularly when 747 SP brings a full load of passengers.
If joining from Damascus ,come well in time. Only two X-Rays machine were working and there was
made rush due to ID holidays. Do not forget to purchase SP 200 airport departure tax
stamp, otherwise you shall have to return from Immigration.
The counter staff and Immigration personnel are very co-operative.
Damascus Airport review by Fadi Karkoush
16
January 2004
Clean and tidy, lots of seats, good number of passport control desks resulting in no delays.
A very high standard duty free with cheap quality goods.
Got a Seiko watch for about £90 and found out when I got back to the UK that it costs £350 on the
high street!
Damascus Airport review by Paul Ross
20
September 2003
I was a transit passenger through Damascus airport twice. On the face of it, it appears clean and tidy, but
as you spend more time there, it's seriously lacking. Firstly there's no where to change money or obtain
visa advances. I arrived with £1000GBP of travellers cheques and had a 4 hour connection. I was unable to
purchase any food or drink, and the 1 restaurant that is there only accepts Syrian money. If you are lucky
you can pay with euro, pounds, or dollars in hard cash. Otherwise you have to starve or die of first.
There is a duty free shop that accepts visa and sells incredibly cheap cigarettes (I think they were $1USD
a packet). However you won't be able to buy any food or drink to consume with your visa card, unless you
don't mind living off toblerone and whisky. Toilets didn't have any toilet paper in them. I was sitting on
the seats, and I left my girlfriend. When I returned she had moved because an older Syrian (I presume?) guy
had started waving his stick at her and telling her to move. He had then requisitioned the whole seat and
sat around 9 burkah wearing women on the seat opposite him. Transfer desk, and being booked onto the next
flight was efficient apart from competing with Indians for a Delhi transfer was like taking part in a
scrum. The airport seriously needs a money changer and VISA ATM in the departure lounge.
Damascus Airport review by Hadi Madwar
22
April 2003
I think Damascus International Airport is much better than it used to be. The duty Free is among the
best i have seen, it is clean, and ckeck in is really quick. The new business lounge is nice. IThe
ggod thing is that there is never crowding problems because of quick passport control and numerous
check in desks.
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