Take flight data
Three flights, one dictator: So Assad made his money from Syria
Updated on April 18, 2025 – 11:54 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
New flight data reveal the winding paths on which Syria’s ex-power holder Assad has transferred his assets abroad. The focus is on billions in operations.
In 2024, the situation for the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is dramatic. Back then, rebels moved to the capital Damascus. The ruler hectically organized the escape of his family – and the export of his wealth.
Research by the Reuters agency now shows how Assad made his assets – or at least part of it – abroad. Aerial photos, flight data and chat messages draw a trace. One machine in particular shows a striking pattern: an Embraer Legacy 600 i.
The plane was registered in Gambia. The machine, presumably hired by a Lebanese businessman, flew a total of three times from Damascus to Abu Dhabi on December 6th and 7th. The airport staff was instilled: “You never saw this plane.”
On the first flight, members of the Assad clan and cash are said to have been on board. At the second flight, art objects such as paintings and sculptures were created outside the country.
According to the research, the third flight, before the start of the United Arab Emirates’ message in the VIP area of the Damascus Airport, was also spotted in the VIP area of the Damascus Airport. Detailed information about Assads is said to have found extensive money flows on this.
The extent of Assad’s wealth is difficult to measure. The US Ministry of Defense estimated it about one to two billion dollars in 2022.
