Damascus International Airport sits roughly 25 to 30 kilometres southeast of the city, and the drive in takes about 30 to 45 minutes on the M5 depending on traffic and checkpoints. That short trip is the first problem every arriving traveller has to solve, and it is usually the one they plan for last — after the flight, the visa, the hotel and the itinerary.
It does not need to be complicated. If your car is booked before you fly, the whole thing takes minutes. Here is what actually happens, in the order it happens.
Book before you fly, not at the terminal
The single most useful thing you can do is arrange the car while you are still at home. A booking made in advance means a specific car is held for your date, at a price you already know, with the terms for that car written down in front of you. Walking into an arrivals hall and asking what is available is a different experience entirely, and rarely a cheaper one.
Cancellation is free, so an early booking costs you nothing if your plans change. There is no reason to wait.
You can start from the car rental at Damascus Airport page, which lists the cars available for airport pickup along with each car's own terms.
Why your flight number matters more than your time
When you book, give us your flight number — not just "I arrive around 4 p.m."
A flight number is a live fact. It tells us whether your aircraft left on time, whether it is early, and whether it is now landing two hours later than the schedule said. An arrival time typed into a form is a guess that stops being true the moment the flight is delayed.
With the flight number, we watch the flight and move the meeting to match it. Without it, we are waiting on a time that may have nothing to do with reality, and you are standing in the arrivals hall trying to explain where you are.
After the plane lands
The sequence is the same for everyone:
- Passport control. How long this takes varies with how many flights landed at once. Budget for a wait rather than assuming there won't be one.
- Baggage. Collect your bags before you look for us. There is no point meeting outside and going back in.
- Customs and the exit into arrivals.
- The meeting. Our representative is waiting in the arrivals area with your name. Once you have your bags, walk out and look for the sign.
Paperwork happens there or at the car, and it is short: your driving licence, your passport, a signature, and the deposit arrangement for the car you booked. Then you are handed the keys.
Delivery to the airport is free
This is the part worth being clear about. Delivering your car to Damascus Airport costs nothing. Delivery anywhere inside Damascus also costs nothing. There is no airport surcharge, no "meet and greet" fee, no premium for arriving at an awkward hour.
Other cities are available too — Aleppo, Aleppo Airport, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Tartus — for a fifty-dollar delivery fee. But if you are landing at Damascus and driving into the capital, delivery is simply included.
If your flight is delayed
Delays are ordinary, and we plan for them. This is exactly why the flight number matters: a delayed flight moves the meeting time on its own, without you needing to send a message from the air.
If something changes that the flight number cannot tell us — you missed a connection, you are rerouted through another airport, you are arriving a day later — let us know through the booking as soon as you can. The point is that a late plane is not a lost car.
The drive into Damascus
The airport road runs northwest into the city and is straightforward. Allow 30 to 45 minutes and more if you are arriving in the late afternoon, when traffic on the approaches into Damascus is heaviest. If you are heading somewhere in the city centre, know the neighbourhood name before you set off — it is far more useful for asking directions than a street address.
If your plans keep you in the capital rather than sending you up the country, the Damascus car rental page covers pickup and delivery within the city, including delivery to your hotel or address.
What to have ready
- Driving licence. We accept licences from every country. A foreign licence is fine, and there is no nationality requirement.
- Minimum age 23.
- The deposit. There is no single company-wide policy: the amount and the method depend on the car. Some cars take a cash deposit, some a card hold, and some a signed undertaking — a sanad amana — where you sign a paper and hand over no money at all. Whichever applies, it is written on that car's own page, so read it before you book rather than discovering it at the counter.
- Fuel. The car is delivered with a full tank and should be returned full.
- Mileage. The kilometre allowance is set per car and stated on the car's page.
Landing in Damascus, leaving from elsewhere
One-way rental is available. You can collect the car at Damascus Airport and return it in another city — useful if you are flying in to Damascus and out of Aleppo, or driving to the coast and continuing from there. Say so when you book so the return can be arranged in advance.
The short version
Book before you fly. Give us your flight number. Collect your bags, walk into arrivals, find your name on the sign. Delivery to the airport and anywhere in Damascus is free, cancellation is free, and a delayed flight is our problem to track rather than yours to explain.