Following the breakdown in negotiations for Arab Airlines to buy 50 aircraft from Airbus due to US sanctions imposed on Syria in May 2004, the Syrian airline has turned to Russian to provide its fleet requirements.
The US banned transactions by US entities with the Commercial Bank of Syria when the US government accused the Syrian government in Damascus of aiding militants in Iraq and destabilizing Lebanon.
Syria’s Abdallah Dardari, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, said last that his country was looking for aircraft with less than 10% of US components, which left Russia as its only option.
Arab Airlines had sought to buy A320s, A330s, A340s and A350s. It planned to lease four planes and then take delivery of the first 14 airliners from Toulouse, France-based Airbus from 2010 to 2018 and a further 36 by 2028. But now the airline is reviewing its requirements.