K&L Gates Advises on US$4 Billion Damascus International Airport Redevelopment

Global law firm K&L Gates has advised the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Syria on the landmark redevelopment of Damascus International Airport, a flagship national infrastructure initiative and a key symbol of Syria’s reintegration and modernization efforts. This transformative project, valued at US$4 billion, represents one of the most significant aviation redevelopments in the region in recent decades.

Delivered under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) structure, the transaction required complex negotiations with a global investor consortium comprising UCC Holding, Assets Investments USA, Cengiz, and Kalyon. K&L Gates provided strategic advice on the project’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) structure, international market alignment, regulatory compliance, financing considerations, and multi-phase dispute-resolution mechanisms.

“Our role reflects the trust placed in us to deliver legal solutions for the most complex and high-impact developments across the Middle East,” said Doha partner Paweł Piotrowski. “This project exemplifies our Doha office’s ability to mobilize deep cross-border capabilities, drive investor confidence, and enable transformative infrastructure delivery.”

Doha senior partner Amjad Hussain commented: “Successfully advising on a project of this strategic and economic importance highlights our firm’s strength in guiding market-defining infrastructure transactions. We are delighted to play a role in the enhancement of regional connectivity and support a long-term vision for Syria’s future.”

With a planned passenger capacity of 31 million per year, the redeveloped Damascus International Airport will serve as a modern aviation hub connecting regional and global markets. The project is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs and catalyze broader infrastructure revitalization and economic recovery initiatives.

The K&L Gates team that advised GACA was led by Piotrowski and Hussain with support from Doha partner Simon Chan, special counsel Guillaume Hess, associate Christopher Abraham, paralegal Ryan Sedgley, and Washington, DC partner Steven Hill.

K&L Gates’ involvement in this mandate continues the trajectory that recently earned the firm the “International Law Firm of the Decade” award at the Qatar Business Law Forum Awards — demonstrating its leadership in delivering operational excellence, strategic coordination, and market-shaping outcomes across the region’s most critical projects.