Airports in Iraq

Baghdad International Airport is the biggest in Iraq, with six other international airports in the country. Basra International Airport is another major airport in Iraq.

Baghdad International Airport used to be known as Saddam International Airport. It is about 16 kilometers West of Baghdad that remains a commercial and military airport to this day. One side houses military incline, the other houses the terminal. Baghdad International Airport has undergone a series of upgrades with funds coming from the United States. Presently much of the facility is used for Iraqi air force operations and a few chartered flights.

Basra International Airport (BIA), meanwhile, is the 2nd largest airport in Iraq. It is located south of Iraq and north of Basra City. At the height of the Gulf Wars, BIA stopped its operations but was re-opened in 2005. The first flight it received was a Boeing 727 from Baghdad.

BIA links Iraq and Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Arabian Gulf. BIA is undergoing major rebuilding today. This is in hopes of making Basra a commercial and industrial zone in Iraq. The present airport will be redesigned to become a gateway for business and travel passengers. The United Kingdom is partnering with the local government in the project.

The Republic of Iraq has been at the center of international attention in the past two decades. It has been freed from the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein. Iran is an oil-rich country, but was heavily damaged as a consequence of the Iran-Iraq War. Today it is in the midst of reconstruction, with help from donor countries and the United Nations.