STORY: Syria recorded nearly 12,000 aircraft transits in May...
as regional airlines rerouted around airspace disrupted by conflict in the Middle East...
and back into skies that most carriers had avoided for more than a decade.
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 2024.
The turnaround is potentially lucrative for Syria.
It 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.
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 in February...
and 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 according to flight-tracking services, the majority of flights to Europe from Dubai and Doha have since crossed central Syria rather than Iraq.
Flying over Syria cuts journey times and fuel costs as airlines try to lessen the impact of the surge in international oil prices.
