The crew of an Air France plane that was rerouted via Damascus this week asked passengers how much cash they could stump up after Syrian authorities refused credit card payment to refuel the aircraft, the French airline said.
Ultimately, it found an alternative arrangement, it said.
The plane that was headed for Beirut on Wednesday night was diverted due to civil unrest in the Lebanese capital and sought to go to Amman, but was forced to land in Syria due to lack of fuel.
Air France stopped flights to Damascus in March as fighting in the country escalated, and relations between France and Syria have collapsed since Paris demanded that President Bashar al-Assad resign.
"Because of the terrible relations between the two countries and the situation in Syria, the passengers were really worried about landing there," said a friend of one passenger, who asked not to be identified.
On landing, the local airport authorities said they could not accept a credit card payment and would only take cash, an Air France spokeswoman said on Thursday.