Air freight from Saudi Arabia to Syria at Gulf International Shipping begins with a pickup from your home or office, continues with a departure from Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Taif or Madinah to Damascus International Airport (or Riyadh to Aleppo), and ends with clearance and hand-over to the consignee, all within 3–5 days. Gulf International Shipping charges from SAR 23 for each kilo and SAR 230 for a 10 kg parcel, billed on actual or volumetric weight, whichever comes out higher.
Flying cargo to Syria is no longer the exception it once was: direct flights between Saudi cities and Damascus now run daily from Riyadh and Jeddah and regularly from Dammam, with services to Aleppo as well. That makes the plane a practical choice for any small shipment that cannot wait: a medicine, a document for an appointment, a spare part, a trade sample. This page explains which airport to use, how the price is worked out, and when the road is the smarter option.
In short
- Airports: Five Saudi airports with direct flights to Damascus, and Riyadh to Aleppo too, subject to airline timetables
- Flight time: About two hours from Riyadh to Damascus and about two hours twenty from Jeddah
- Door to door: 3–5 days from pickup to hand-over, covering export, the flight and clearance at Damascus airport
- Rate per kg: SAR 23 a kilo to start; a 10 kg parcel costs from SAR 230
- Chargeable weight: Scale weight or volumetric weight (the three dimensions in cm multiplied, then divided by 6000), whichever is greater
- Cheaper alternative: A 25 kg carton by road from SAR 165, arriving in about two to three weeks
Route: your door → Saudi airport → Damascus or Aleppo → consignee · 3–5 days · 0568829975
Which Saudi airports fly cargo to Syria?
The airport nearest you shapes both speed and cost. Gulf International Shipping collects from your city and hands the shipment to the most suitable airport cargo terminal; from cities without a direct flight we truck it to the nearest airport that has one.
Schedules change from season to season, and the cargo space available on passenger aircraft varies from flight to flight, so we confirm the flight and space at booking rather than before. Around travel seasons and Eid, aircraft holds fill up with passenger bags, so we advise booking a few days before you need the shipment there.
Air freight prices from Saudi Arabia to Syria
Our starting price is set below what air-freight companies publish for Syria from Riyadh. The first figure in each cell is Gulf International Shipping’s “from” price; the second is the usual ceiling for bulky shipments or busy flights. Two road rows are added for comparison.
Note: an air parcel reaches the consignee in 3–5 days, while boxes on the weekly truck from Riyadh or Jeddah need around two to three working weeks to reach Damascus.
What does the air price include?
Gulf International Shipping’s price covers pickup from your door within the city, weighing and basic packing, the air waybill and the flight to Damascus or Aleppo. Clearance at the Syrian airport, any customs duty, and onward delivery from the airport to distant governorates depend on the shipment and the city — ask for your quote and we will itemise them before you pay. Insurance is optional and starts at 0.9% of the shipment’s value.
Actual vs volumetric weight on Syria air cargo
Airlines sell space as well as weight. The actual weight on the scale is compared with the volumetric weight worked out from the carton’s dimensions, and the higher one is charged. The usual air-cargo method is to multiply length, width and height in centimetres and divide the result by 6000; some express couriers divide by 5000 instead.
Example: a carton measuring 55 × 45 × 40 cm reads 9 kg on the scale. Multiplied out, its dimensions come to 99,000; split by 6000 that is 16.5 kg of volumetric weight, so it is billed at 16.5 kg rather than 9 and starts at about SAR 380 at SAR 23 a kilo. Pack the very same items into a 45 × 35 × 35 cm box and the volumetric weight falls to about 9.2 kg, starting at roughly SAR 212. The lesson: by air, a smaller box saves real money.
Before you seal the box
Take out light, bulky items such as pillows, soft toys and boxed shoes, and send them by road. Air suits small, heavy items; road suits light, bulky ones.
Air or road to Syria?
The short rule: under 20–30 kg and time matters, air is usually the answer. Heavier, or with flexible timing, road freight through Jordan and Nassib costs far less — see land freight from Saudi Arabia to Syria.
What suits air freight to Damascus and Aleppo?
- Personal medicines and medical supplies: in treatment quantities with a prescription, when a patient cannot wait two weeks.
- Documents and paperwork: certified certificates, contracts and powers of attorney tied to an appointment at a government office.
- Urgent spare parts: a small component that is stopping a workshop, a generator or a production line.
- Small electronics: a phone or laptop in its box with the invoice, within battery rules.
- Trade samples: fabric or product samples a trader wants to show a buyer in Syria before shipping the order by road.
- Gifts for an occasion: when the date is close and the weekly road trip will not make it.
Furniture, large appliances and commercial quantities belong on a truck; by air they can cost more than they are worth.
Air freight to Aleppo and the other governorates
There are two ways to Aleppo: direct flights from Riyadh to Aleppo airport according to the schedule, or a flight to Damascus followed by about 362 km by road. We pick whichever is faster at the time of booking. For other governorates we fly to Damascus and continue by road: Homs is about 162 km away, Latakia about 332 km, and Daraa and Suwayda closer still. Delivery to far governorates such as Deir ez-Zor or Hasakah can therefore take a day or two longer than Damascus.
Seven stops between your home in the Kingdom and the consignee in Syria
- 1Send weight and dimensions
A photo, the weight, carton dimensions and Syrian city by WhatsApp on 0568829975. - 2Get the price and flight
We work out the chargeable weight and confirm the next available flight and price. - 3Pickup and packing
Our courier collects, weighs and packs the shipment and attaches the waybill details. - 4Hand-over to airport cargo
We issue the air waybill and deliver the shipment to the cargo terminal after security screening. - 5Flight
The shipment flies to Damascus or Aleppo and we send you the waybill number to follow it. - 6Clearance at the Syrian airport
Our agent handles customs clearance and pays any duties due. - 7Delivery
The shipment is delivered to the consignee’s address after a call to confirm the time.
Customs clearance at Damascus airport and duties
Every air shipment arriving in Syria passes through airport customs. Second-hand belongings and family presents in modest amounts normally count as personal effects; new goods, appliances in numbers and commercial cargo are charged duty under Syria’s current tariff schedule, with rates that change from one item to the next. That is why we ask for a contents list with items, quantities and values, and give you a duty estimate before shipping when duty is likely.
Commercial shipments need a commercial invoice and packing list, and an importer registration in Syria may be requested. A private consignee needs only a copy of a Syrian ID or passport and a working phone number. A returning Syrian’s household goods have their own exemption on specific conditions, explained in Syria used household goods customs.
What airlines restrict and what Syrian customs prohibits
Airline restrictions
- Loose lithium batteries and power banks, except under special packing and declaration rules.
- Perfumes, aerosols and flammable liquids, which aviation treats as dangerous goods.
- Gas cylinders, lighters and matches.
- Strong magnets, chemicals and paints.
Syrian customs prohibitions
- Weapons, ammunition and narcotics.
- Walkie-talkies, drones and remote-controlled toys.
- Goods of Israeli origin.
- Medicine in trade quantities, or any without a doctor’s prescription.
These are the main restrictions, not a complete list. Before you pack, photograph anything questionable and send it to us, because a shipment rejected at security screening comes back to you and misses its flight.
Packing an air shipment to Syria
- A new double-wall carton sized close to the contents, with no big gaps that inflate volumetric weight.
- Keep each carton to 30 kg or less; heavier pieces get special handling at the cargo terminal.
- Pack electronics in their original boxes with padding around them, and switch devices fully off.
- Tape every edge with wide tape and write the name, city and phone number on two sides.
- Do not advertise valuable contents such as a phone or gold on the outside; the enclosed list is enough.
Documents required for air freight to Syria
Gulf International Shipping issues the air waybill, and you receive a copy with a number you can track.
Air freight from Tabuk and cities without direct flights
Tabuk has no direct flight to Damascus, but it is also the Saudi city closest to Syria, about 650 km by road. So we offer Tabuk customers two options: trucking the shipment to Riyadh or Jeddah to catch a flight, or direct road freight that reaches Damascus in 4–7 working days on a dedicated truck at a much lower cost. The same applies to customers in Qassim, Ha’il and Al-Jouf, whose shipments we connect to Riyadh airport.
Mistakes that delay an air shipment to Syria
- A box bigger than its contents: volumetric weight goes up and you pay to fly air.
- An undeclared battery: screening picks it up and the shipment is pulled from the flight.
- A contents list without values: clearance at Damascus airport waits until it is completed.
- A consignee number that does not work: the shipment sits at the airport or warehouse until they are found.
- Booking at the last minute before Eid: holds are full of luggage and the shipment rolls to a later flight.
Can a car be flown to Syria?
In practice, no: cars to Syria travel by road on carriers. We spell out the eligible cases because customers often ask about car shipping: used-car imports into Syria are currently suspended, new cars compliant with the current import decision are allowed, and motorcycles are banned. Gulf International Shipping hauls a qualifying car on a covered or open transporter to the Nassib crossing, with sedans from SAR 3,220. Details on car shipping from Saudi Arabia to Syria.
Why fly your shipment to Syria with Gulf International Shipping?
The airport nearest you
Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah or Taif, depending on where you are and which flight is available.
Weight explained up front
Before payment you see both the scale weight and the dimensional weight, plus packing tips to bring it down.
Damascus and Aleppo
Flights to both airports, with road delivery onward to the other governorates.
A road option ready
If road is cheaper for your shipment we will say so, and arrange it from the same desk.
Your urgent shipment to Syria starts with a message
Send the weight, dimensions and Syrian city, and we will answer with a price and the first flight that has space.
Related Syria guides
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- shipping from Riyadh to Syria, shipping from Jeddah to Syria, shipping from Dammam to Syria, shipping from Madinah to Syria, shipping from Taif to Syria, shipping from Tabuk to Syria
- cartons and parcels shipping to Syria, shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to Syria
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