The airport was built to accommodate the growing air traffic and to enhance Syria's connectivity with the rest of the world.

In the 1980s, the airport was served by over 30 airlines and had nonstop flights to destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.

[5] In the following years, Damascus Airport underwent several expansion and modernisation projects in order to meet the increasing demands of international and domestic travellers.

[8][9] Since the onset of the Syrian Civil War, the airport and the road leading to it have been closed intermittently and most international airlines, such as Emirates and EgyptAir, have ceased flights.

In June 2022, Damascus International Airport suffered major damage, including to runways, following an Israeli missile attack, targeting alleged Iranian weapons transfers.

[14] On 2 January 2023, Damascus International Airport temporarily went out of service after another Israeli missile strike, which killed at least 2 soldiers, before returning to operation 7 hours later after the damage was repaired.

[15][16][17] It is announced that Syrian Airlines plans to establish a joint venture with a private company to invest, manage, and operate its activities and those of the airport.

[34][35] According to many sources Russia and Iran were planning to invest in the airport's development and building of a new international terminal, which would have had a capacity of up to 15 million passengers per year.

[36][citation needed] Located 30 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Damascus, the airport is in the governate of Rif-Dimashq.