By Feras Dalatey and Joanna Plucinska
DUBAI/LONDON, June 1 (Reuters) - Syria recorded nearly 12,000 aircraft transits in May as regional airlines rerouted around airspace disrupted by conflict in the Middle East and into skies that most carriers had avoided for more than a decade.
Figures from Syria's General Authority for Civil Aviation show 11,801 flights crossed Syrian airspace, more than double the 4,267 recorded in February, the last full month before the Iran war disrupted regional aviation.
Overflights in May were about 375% higher than in the same month last year.
Syria's airspace was a no-go zone throughout the 14-year civil war that ended with the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.
The turnaround is potentially lucrative for Syria, which increased the fees it charges airlines early this year.
Based on a flat fee of $499 per flight introduced by Syria's new government, last month's traffic could have generated as much as $5.9 million in overflight revenue, according to Reuters calculations.
The General Authority for Civil Aviation declined to comment on revenue potential and the new fees.
Airlines were forced to reassess Syria after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes began the Iran war on February 28 the airspace over Iraq and the Gulf that airlines previously relied upon was shut during March.
A ceasefire led to the reopening of airspace in April, but the majority of flights to Europe from Dubai and Doha - two of the world's busiest aviation hubs - have since crossed central Syria rather than Iraq, according to flight-tracking services Flightradar24 and AirNav.
Flying over Syria cuts journey times and fuel costs as airlines try to lessen the impact of the surge in international oil prices caused by the disruption linked to the Iran war.
SYRIA IS STILL HIGH RISK
Syria upgraded infrastructure at Damascus International Airport after receiving advanced radar and navigation systems from Turkey late last year, according to Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu.
Even so, OPSGroup, an aviation risk monitoring advisory body, said that airspace over Syria is still considered risky and is operating with "procedural control only" - the most basic level of air traffic control.
Traffic remains less than half the levels before Syria's war, according to aviation officials, and the increase in traffic is largely limited to Gulf carriers as Europe's aviation safety agency still recommends airlines avoid flying over the country and region due to the Iran conflict.
Asian and North American carriers are also largely avoiding Middle Eastern airspace.
Syrian authorities, however, are upbeat.
"The increase in overflight traffic reflects the beginning of a real shift in how airlines view Syrian airspace, as a viable and dependable route once again within the regional air traffic network," General Authority for Civil Aviation head Omar al-Hosari told Reuters.
He said GACA had updated air routes, reassessed traffic patterns and strengthened navigation, surveillance and air traffic control systems and adopted risk-based safety assessments in line with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
As part of an overhaul of the payment systems for overflights, GACA has outsourced the collection of charges to Syrian handling agents, as well as OPSGroup and International Flight Planning Solutions, a private Lebanese flight-planning firm.
Syria's flat fee of $499 per flight - divided between a $430 charge and a $69 communication fee - is regardless of aircraft type, size or operation type, according to a GACA document reviewed by Reuters and FAS Aero, one of the handling agents contracted by the government. Handling agents often add further fees on top.
Under Assad, Syria charged $75 for smaller aircraft to fly over the country, or about $1 to 1.25 per metric ton for larger planes, according to OPSGroup and a Syrian aviation official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The GACA document also shows a 50% reduction in levies for domestic flights and aircraft registered in Syria, and full exemptions for aircraft belonging to heads of states, official delegations, and search and rescue operations.
(Reporting by Feras Dalatey in Dubai and Joanna Plucinska in London;Editing by Josephine Mason and Barbara Lewis)
