Qamishli International Airport

Qamishli International Airport
مطار القامشلي الدولي
Balafirgeha Qamişlo ya Navneteweyî
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Syria
OperatorGeneral Authority of Civil Aviation
ServesQamishli, Syria
Time zoneAST (UTC+03:00)
Elevation AMSL1,480 ft (450 m)
Coordinates37°01′14″N 041°11′29″E / 37.02056°N 41.19139°E / 37.02056; 41.19139
Websiteqamishliairport.gov.sy
Map
KAC is located in Syria
KAC
KAC
Location of airport in Syria
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 3,615 11,860 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Qamishli International Airport[3] (IATA: KAC, ICAO: OSKL) (Arabic: مطار القامشلي الدولي, romanized: Maṭār al-Qāmishlī al-Duwalī; Kurmanji Kurdish: Balafirgeha Qamişlo ya Navneteweyî) is an international airport serving Qamishli, a city in northeastern Syria.

History

Although the airport was closed to civilians around October 2015,[3] it had reopened, with Syrian flight companies including Cham Wings Airlines and Syrian Air providing regular flights into Qamishli from Damascus, Latakia and Beirut until November 2024. The airport used to receive seasonal foreign flights from Germany and Sweden.[4]

On 21 January 2016, there were reports that Russia was setting up a new military base in the government-controlled and mainly abandoned airport.[5][6][7]

On 7 December 2024, a day prior the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took control of the airport following the withdrawal of pro-regime militants.[8][9] A few days later, Turkey's MIT intelligence service claimed responsibility for an attack on the airport, as they detected that the "YPG seized the military supplies and was taking them to its own warehouses,"[10] contradicting a rumour that alleged that Israeli airstrikes had targeted weapons depots left in the facility.[11] Later that month, on 16 December, two Russian Ilyushin military transport planes withdrew from the airport.[12] As of June 2025 the airport serves as a military outpost for the Russian military.[13] In January 2026, Russian troops withdrew from Qamishli during the ceasefire between the Syrian transitional government and the SDF.[14] On 8 February 2026, Syrian officials accompanied by Asayish, stationed at the airport in preparation for reopening civilian flights.[15] The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority announced that it has officially taken over the management of Qamishli Airport on 21 February 2026.[16]

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 1,480 feet (451 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 03/21 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,615 by 46 metres (11,860 ft × 151 ft).[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Airport information for OSKL[link removed] from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. ↑ "Airport information for KAC". DAFIF. October 2006 – via Great Circle Mapper.
  3. 1 2 "Hasakah's Qamishli International Airport now closed to civilians". SYRIA:direct. 21 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Qamishli - Cham Wings". Archived from the original on 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  5. ↑ "Russians survey new airbase on Syria-Turkey border, US officials concerned". Fox News Channel. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Россия и США синхронно создают новые авиабазы на севере Сирии". NEWSru. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "U.S. officials: Russia looking at Syria airfield near Turkey". CNN. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "انسحاب قوات النظام من القامشلي والحسكة لصالح سوريا الديمقراطية" (in Arabic). Nabd. 7 December 2024.
  9. ↑ "Landmark SDF deal hailed as positive step for Syria and Kurds". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2025-03-12. After Bashar al-Assad was toppled in late December, Kurds took control of Qamishli International Airport, but were not able to operate it.
  10. ↑ "Turkey hits military supplies under Kurdish control in north Syria, security source says". Reuters. 2024-12-10. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
  11. ↑ Omer, Zana (11 December 2024). "VOA Kurdish: Israeli strikes on Syrian military bases target weapons". Voice of America.
  12. ↑ "Russia forces withdraw from Syria's Qamishli airport". Middle East Monitor. 16 December 2024.
  13. ↑ Shapira, Boaz (2025-06-12). "Renewed Russian Entrenchment in Northeastern Syria – Qamishli". Alma Research and Education Center. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
  14. ↑ "Russian Forces Withdraw from Qamishlo, Kurdistan24 Reports". Kurdistan 24. 26 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Syrian officials review readiness of Qamishli airport for reopening". SANA. 8 February 2026.
  16. ↑ "Syrian Civil Aviation Authority Announces Takeover of Qamishlo Airport, Nearing Reopening". Welat TV. 2026-02-22.


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