European Union Reinstates Sanctions on Cham Wings Airlines Over Alleged Support to Syrian Regime

The European Union has once again placed sanctions on Cham Wings Airlines, the Syrian-based carrier, citing allegations of the airline’s support for Bashar al-Assad’s regime. This move, effective from January 24, 2024, marks a significant shift in the EU’s stance towards the airline, which had previously been sanctioned between December 2021 and July 2022. The sanctions were initially imposed due to Cham Wings Airlines’ purported involvement in a migrant-smuggling operation, purportedly facilitated by governments adversarial to the EU.

According to the EU’s sanctions list update, “Cham Wings uses its flights to engage in the transfer of Syrian mercenaries, arms trade, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering, which supports the activities of the Syrian regime. As the only private airline in Syria, Cham Wings is therefore benefiting from, and providing support to the Syrian regime.” These allegations highlight the EU’s concerns over the airline’s operations and their potential implications for regional security and stability.

The sanctions come after the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had already designated Cham Wings Airlines in 2016 for its connections to the Syrian government. However, the EU had previously adopted a less stringent approach, only sanctioning the airline in December 2021, when it was accused of operating charter flights to Minsk National. These flights allegedly transported migrants who were subsequently pushed by the Belarusian regime towards the Lithuanian and Polish borders, creating a humanitarian crisis. Cham Wings has refuted claims of knowingly participating in this scheme, insisting its operations were commercial and that it had no control over passenger identities.

The airline was briefly removed from the EU sanctions list in mid-2022 and had even aspired to secure an EU Third Country Operator (TCO) permit for scheduled flights to the EU. However, with the re-imposition of sanctions, such aspirations are now in limbo.

Cham Wings Airlines, still under sanctions from the US and Ukraine but not the United Kingdom, operates a fleet that includes three A320-200 aircraft. The carrier recently added a fourth aircraft, YK-BAA (msn 2434), acquired from the UAE-based startup Queens Air and registered in Kyrgyzstan as EX-32012. This aircraft was transferred to Cham Wings at Minsk airport and ferried to Damascus on February 7, 2024, avoiding Turkish airspace and routing through Russia, as per ADS-B data.

Cham Wings Airlines, which did not respond to requests for comment, continues to operate flights across the Middle East, Libya, and Iran despite the sanctions. This development underscores the EU’s increasing scrutiny of entities perceived as supporting the Syrian regime, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions and concerns over regional stability.