Incident: Cham Wings A320 at Damascus on Feb 6th 2020, diverted due to military activity
By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, Feb 7th 2020 10:39Z, last updated Friday, Feb 7th 2020 10:39Z
A Cham Wings Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration YK-BAB performing flight 6Q-514 from Al-Najaf (Iraq) to Damascus (Syria) with 172 people on board, was descending on a northwesterly heading through about 6000 feet towards Damascus about 13mn east of Damascus at about 01:15L (23:15Z Feb 5th) when the aircraft turned around onto an southeasterly, later easterly heading and climbed out as rapidly as possible, initially at about 3000 fpm. After climbing through FL150 about 25nm southeast of Damascus the climb schedule became normal, the aircraft continued to climb to FL280, turned northwest and diverted to Latakia (Syria) where the aircraft landed safely about 40 minutes after the go around near Damascus.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Latakia for about 100 minutes, then flew to Damascus as flight WN-622 (typo in the ICAO code for the transponder, SWA-622/WN-622 entered instead of SAW-622/6Q-622) and continued schedule.
Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed on Feb 7th 2020, that a quick thinking Syrian Air Traffic Controller prevented the aircraft from coming under fire by Syrian Air Defense who were responding to missile fire onto surbubs of Damascus. Russia claims, the eight missiles onto Damascus were launched by four Israeli F-16 fighter aircraft from outside Syria's airspace. The A320 was descending towards Damascus in the "zone of death" in the firing line of Syrian anti-aircraft defense systems, the quick reaction by ATC enabled the A320 to leave that zone in time.
Russia controls the area around Latakia and uses Latakia's Airport, also known as Khmeimim Air Base, as their main air base in Syria while engaging in Syria's Civil War.