Syrian Arab Airlines to order two Russian aircraft

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