Establishment and early years

In 1965, the construction of the airport was entrusted to a group of French companies (SCB, CSF, Spie and Cegelec), led by the SCB. Damascus Airport was opened in the late 1960s, replacing the old Mazzeh military airport that previously served as the city's main aviation hub. 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. It was also a stop-over on a Pakistan International Airlines route from Karachi and Islamabad to New York and Toronto.

In the following years, Damascus Airport underwent several expansion and modernisation projects in order to meet the increasing demands of international and domestic travellers. New terminals, runways, and facilities were constructed to enhance passenger services and improve operational efficiency. In March 2007, Iran Air inaugurated a flight from Tehran to Caracas via Damascus. Its codeshare partner Conviasa took over the route seven months later.

Civil war

With the onset of the Syrian civil war, the airport and approach roads were closed intermittently and most international airlines ceased flights. Conviasa ended its direct service to Caracas in August 2012.

In June 2022, Damascus International Airport suffered major damage, including to runways, following an Israeli missile attack, targeting alleged Iranian weapons transfers. Flights were halted to and from the airport for two weeks due to the extensive damage to infrastructure. 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. 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.

On 12 October 2023, Damascus International Airport was temporarily closed due to a damaged runway following Israeli missile attacks on both it and Aleppo International Airport, during the skirmishes which occurred across the border in connection with the Gaza war. The airport was put back into service on 18 October. On 22 October, both Aleppo and Damascus airports were hit simultaneously, putting them out of service for the second time within two weeks. Two workers were killed during the attack. On 26 November 2023, hours after the airport was put back into service from the previous attack, Israel targeted the airport with missiles, causing material losses and putting the airport out of service again.

Post-Assad regime

The airport was closed during the opposition offensive on Damascus on 8 December 2024. On 18 December 2024, commercial operations resumed with the first flight taking off with 32 passengers heading to Aleppo. On 4 January 2025, the Syrian transitional government announced that international flights would resume from 7 January, for the first time since the fall of the Assad regime. Services would later resume on 7 January, with the arrival of a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. Flights to some destinations remain suspended, although they have been progressively reinstated thanks to work done by the Syrian government

In February 2025, with the help of the Turkish government, the airport began its renovation. The General Authority of Civil Aviation signed a $4 billion investment to refurbish the airport, including the construction of a new 5-star hotel.

In January 2026, Turkey installed a new radar system to modernize civil aviation infrastructure, improve safety standards, and enhance the efficiency of airspace management around the airport.