Baghdad International Airport
Baghdad International Airport مطار بغداد الدولي Maṭār Baġdād ad-Dawaliyy | |||||||||||||||
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![]() Baghdad International Airport in September 2007 | |||||||||||||||
Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public / Military | ||||||||||||||
Operator | Iraqi Government | ||||||||||||||
Location | Baghdad,Iraq | ||||||||||||||
Hubfor | |||||||||||||||
ElevationAMSL | 114 ft / 35 m | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 33°15′45″N44°14′04″E/ 33.26250°N 44.23444°E | ||||||||||||||
Maps | |||||||||||||||
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Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||||||
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Baghdad International Airport(IATA:BGW,ICAO:ORBI), previouslySaddam International Airportfrom 1982 to 2003, (IATA:SDA,ICAO:ORBS) (Arabic:مطار بغداد الدولي,romanized:Maṭār Baġdād ad-Dawaliyy) isIraq's largestinternational airport,located in a suburb about 16 km (9.9 mi) west of downtownBaghdadin theBaghdad Governorate.It is the home base for Iraq's national airline,Iraqi Airways.
History
[edit]Interwar
[edit]TheBaghdad West Aerodromewas made available for civilian flights ofImperial Airwayson April 1st, 1929.[3]
Pre-1982
[edit]The airport was developed under a consortium led byFrenchcompanySpie Batignollesunder an agreement made in 1979. TheIran–Iraq Wardelayed full opening of the airport until 1982. It opened asSaddam International Airport,bearing the name of then-Iraqi PresidentSaddam Hussein.[4]
1991–2003
[edit]Most ofBaghdad's civilian flights stopped in 1991,[5]when theUnited Nationsimposed restrictions on Iraq after itsinvasion of Kuwait.After thePersian Gulf War,ano-fly zoneimposed on Iraq by theUnited Statesand theUnited Kingdommeant thatIraqi Airwayswas only able to continue domestic flights for limited periods.[citation needed]Occasional international charter flights carrying medicine, aid workers, and government officials were allowed into Baghdad.[6]Royal Jordanian Airlinesoperated regular flights fromAmmanto Baghdad.[citation needed]
2003–2005 (U.S. occupation)
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Baghdad_International_Airport_%28October_2003%29.jpg/220px-Baghdad_International_Airport_%28October_2003%29.jpg)
In 2003,United States-led Coalition forcesinvaded Iraq.In early April, they moved into Baghdad, took control of the airport, and changed its name to Baghdad International Airport.[7]TheICAOcode for the airport consequently changed from ORBS to ORBI. TheIATAcode also changed from SDA to BGW, which had previously referred to all Baghdad airports, and before that toAl Muthana Airportwhen Saddam Hussein was in power.
In July 2003, the airport resumed civilian flights for the first time since 1991.[5]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/001127-BaghdadAirport-Iraq-IMG_8335-2.jpg/220px-001127-BaghdadAirport-Iraq-IMG_8335-2.jpg)
Civilian control of the airport was returned to theIraqi Governmentfrom theCoalition Provisional Authorityin 2004.[citation needed]
2005–2011
[edit]Sather Air Base– the American base on the west side of the airport – came under periodic rocket fire from Baghdad. On 6 December 2006, a 107mm rocket attack landed 30 yards (27.5 meters) from a parkedC-5Aaircraft, puncturing it with scores of shrapnel holes.[citation needed]
Terminal C was refreshed with three active gate areas for carriers operating from the airport.[citation needed]
2012-Present
[edit]Baghdad Airport Road,connecting the airport to theGreen Zone,once a dangerous route full ofIEDs,was refurbished in 2014 with palm trees, manicured lawns, and a fountain, withTurkishassistance.[8]
On 1 May 2023, the Iraqi government underMohammed Shia' Al Sudaniapproved plans to enhance services with the intention of launching an expansion project in the development of Baghdad Airport in the second half of 2023. In 2024, the airport reached the final stage of its expansion plan, according to theInternational Finance Corporation.
Military use
[edit]A separate enclave within the airport houses theNew Al Muthana Air Base,where theIraqi Air Force's23rd Squadronis based, operating threeLockheed C-130E Herculestransport aircraft. The base is also home to a number ofSukhoi Su-25attack aircraft.[9]
Sather Air Base, or Camp Sather, was aUnited States Air Forcebaseon the west side of the airport from 2003 to 2011. It was named in memory ofCombat ControllerStaff SergeantScott Sather, the first enlistedairmanto die inOperation Iraqi Freedom.Sather was awarded theBronze Star Medalwith Valorfor his leadership of a24th Special Tactics Squadronreconnaissance task force during the initial stages of the 2003 U.S. invasion.[10]
Airport developments
[edit]On 18 May 2010, plans were unveiled for an expansion of Baghdad International Airport, doubling its capacity to 15 million passengers per year. The expansion, to be funded by foreign investors, was to include construction of three new terminals and refurbishment of the existing three, each of which would accommodate 2.5 million passengers annually.[11]
Airlines and destinations
[edit]Passenger
[edit]Cargo
[edit]Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Coyne Airways | Dubai-International[28] |
EgyptAir Cargo | Cairo[29] |
Silk Way Airlines | Baku[30] |
Statistics
[edit]Year | Passengers | Cargo | Aircraft operations | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | %YoY | Tons | %YoY | Movements | %YoY | |
2015 | 1,898,589 | N.D. | 11,657.5 | N.D. | 19,952 | N.D. |
2016 | 1,787,247 | ![]() |
18,903.1 | ![]() |
16,858 | ![]() |
2017 | 3,507,910 | ![]() |
33,254.8 | ![]() |
31,342 | ![]() |
2018 | 3,909,709 | ![]() |
11,027.0 | ![]() |
37,751 | ![]() |
2019 | 3,778,578 | ![]() |
12,057.7 | ![]() |
37,265 | ![]() |
2020 | 928,876 | ![]() |
6,105.3 | ![]() |
11,301 | ![]() |
2021 | 2,071,150 | ![]() |
7,346.7 | ![]() |
23,678 | ![]() |
2022 | 2,915,052 | ![]() |
8,803.3 | ![]() |
32,549 | ![]() |
Source:COSIT.Air Transport Activity Statistics, years 2015,[31]2016,[32]2017,[33]2018,[34]2019,[35]2020,[36]2021[37]and 2022.[38]
Incidents and accidents
[edit]- During theGulf War,two Iraqi AirwaysTupolev Tu-124Vsparked on the ground were destroyed by U.S. bombs.[citation needed]
- In June 2000, two Saudi former military officers boarded a plane bound for London and diverted it to Baghdad. They wanted to claim asylum in Iraq, but Iraqi authorities later deported them to Saudi Arabia.[39]
- On 22 November 2003, aEuropean Air TransportAirbus A300B4freighter, registeredOO-DLL,operating on behalf ofDHL Aviation,was hit by anSA-14'Grail' missile shortly after takeoff. The airplane lost hydraulic pressure, causing a loss of control. After extending the landing gear to create more drag, the crew piloted the plane using differences in engine thrust and landed the plane with minimal further damage. All three crew survived. After the incident, civilian planes took to routinely performingcorkscrew landingsto minimise the risk of being hit by surface weapons.[40]
- On 26 January 2015, aflydubaiBoeing 737-800flying fromDubaito Baghdad with 154 passengers on board was hit bysmall-armsfire on approach to Baghdad International Airport. The plane landed safely.[41]One passenger was injured when at least three bullets struck the plane. After the incident,UAEcarriersFlyDubaiandEmiratessuspended their flights fromDubaito Baghdad. Flights byTurkish AirlinesandRoyal Jordanianwere also temporarily suspended.[16]
- On 3 January 2020, aU.S. drone strikekilledQasem Soleimani,leader ofIran'sQuds Force,andAbu Mahdi al-Muhandis,deputy commander of thePopular Mobilization Forces,as their convoy left the airport on or nearBaghdad Airport Road.[42][43][44]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Iraq's AIP. Consolidated edition, February, 2021"(PDF).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2022"(PDF).Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^Great Britain. Colonial Office; League of Nations. Council (1927).Iraq, Report on Iraq Administration(in Maltese). H.M. Stationery Office. p. 3-PA114.Retrieved29 July2024.
- ^Technology Transfer to the Middle East: Summary.DIANE Publishing. 1984. p. 273.ISBN978-1-4289-2383-6.
- ^ab"Baghdad International Airport".Airport Technology.Retrieved26 July2024.
- ^"Iraq Baghdad Private Jet Charter".
{{cite web}}
:CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^"Renamed airport gateway to Iraq's future".Air Force.4 April 2003.Retrieved26 July2024.
- ^Arango, Tim (20 November 2014)."Amid Mutual Suspicion, Turkish Premier Visits Iraq".The New York Times Company.The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 18 February 2018.Retrieved22 November2014.
- ^AirForces Monthly.Stamford,Lincolnshire,England:Key Publishing Ltd.August 2014. p. 22.
- ^"SSgt Scott Sather".airforcespecialtactics.af.mil.Retrieved26 July2024.
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2021.Retrieved25 May2010.
{{cite web}}
:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Air Arabia Abu Dhabi launches new direct flights to two cities in Iraq".
- ^"Turkish Airlines adds Ankara – Baghdad service in S19".Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2019.Retrieved22 January2019.
- ^Liu, Jim."Turkish Airlines confirms AnadoluJet network transition from late-March 2020".Routesonline.Retrieved14 January2020.
- ^"AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES RESUMES BAGHDAD SERVICE FROM LATE-DEC 2023".AeroRoutes. 4 December 2023.Retrieved4 December2023.
- ^abFahim, Kareem (27 January 2015)."Airlines Suspend Flights to Iraq's Baghdad Airport After Jet Is Hit by Gunfire".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 7 September 2017.Retrieved5 March2017.
- ^"Iraqi Airways Plans Beijing May 2024 Launch".Aeroroutes.Retrieved22 April2024.
- ^"Iraqi Airways Resumes Dusseldorf Service from Nov 2023".AeroRoutes. 2 November 2023.Retrieved2 November2023.
- ^"Iraqi Airways to Resume Guangzhou Service in 4Q23".Aeroroutes.Retrieved20 September2023.
- ^"Iraqi Airways Resumes Kuala Lumpur From Feb 2024".
- ^Liu, Jim (11 October 2017)."Iraqi Airways Germany / Russia service changes from Oct 2017".Routesonline.Archivedfrom the original on 15 June 2018.Retrieved11 October2017.
- ^"Iraqi Airways files Hurghada / Trabzon schedules from July 2019".routesonline. 16 July 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 16 July 2019.Retrieved16 July2019.
- ^"Nile Air schedules Baghdad charters from July 2019".routesonline.27 June 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 27 June 2019.Retrieved27 June2019.
- ^"Gulf Air and Royal Jordanian suspend service to Iraq amid regional tensions".
- ^"SalamAir launches flights to Baghdad".Oman Observer.2 September 2023.Retrieved2 October2023.
- ^"Istanbul New Airport Transition Delayed Until April 5, 2019 (At The Earliest)".Archivedfrom the original on 27 February 2019.Retrieved27 February2019.
- ^Liu, Jim."UR Airlines files S20 network".Routesonline.Retrieved4 March2020.
- ^conyeair - Gulf ScheduleArchived4 June 2019 at theWayback Machineretrieved 24 November 2019
- ^"Dnata scoops new Egyptair Cargo handling deal in Dubai ǀ Air Cargo News".aircargonews.net.DVV Media International. 30 May 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 4 June 2018.Retrieved1 June2018.
- ^silkwayairlines - Our networkArchived3 November 2019 at theWayback Machineretrieved 24 November 2019
- ^"اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2015"(PDF).Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2016"(PDF).Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2017"(PDF).Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2018"(PDF).Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2019"(PDF).Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2020"(PDF).Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2021"(PDF).Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2022"(PDF).Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 777-268 HZ-AKH Baghdad".
- ^"The opinion pollsters who dodged mortar fire and militias".BBC News.5 June 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 25 September 2015.Retrieved4 June2015.
- ^"Boeing Hit by Gunfire in Baghdad".Airliner World:83. March 2015.
- ^"Archived copy".Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2020.Retrieved3 January2020.
{{cite web}}
:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"US kills powerful Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad airstrike".The Times of Israel.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2020.Retrieved3 January2020.
- ^Crowley, Michael; Hassan, Falih; Schmitt, Eric (2 January 2020)."U.S. Strike in Iraq Kills Qassim Suleimani, Commander of Iranian Forces".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2020.Retrieved3 January2020.
External links
[edit]Media related toBaghdad International Airportat Wikimedia Commons