Baghdad International Airport

Baghdad International Airport (IATA: BGW, ICAO: ORBI), previously Saddam International Airport (IATA: SDA, ICAO: ORBS) (Arabic: مطار بغداد الدولي‎, romanized: Maṭār Baġdād ad-Dawaliyy), is Iraq's largest international airport, located in a suburb about 16 km (9.9 mi) west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate. It is the home base for Iraq's national airline, Iraqi Airways.

"Baghdad Airport" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Bagdad Airport.

Baghdad International Airport

مطار بغداد الدولي

Maṭār Baġdād ad-Dawaliyy
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
OperatorIraqi Government
LocationBaghdad, Iraq
Hub for
Elevation AMSL114 ft / 35 m
Coordinates33°15′45″N 44°14′04″E
Map
BGW
Location of airport in Iraq
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15R/33L 10,830 3,301 Concrete
15L/33R 13,123 4,000 Concrete
Statistics (2009)
Total passengers 7,500,000 (estimate)
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

History

Pre-1982

The present airport was developed under a consortium led by French company, Spie Batignolles, under an agreement made in 1979. The Iran/Iraq war delayed full opening of the airport until 1982. The airport at the time was opened as Saddam International Airport, bearing the name of the then Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein.[3]

1982–2003

Most of Baghdad's civil flights stopped in 1991, when the United Nations imposed restrictions on Iraq after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War. Because of the no-fly zone imposed on Iraq by the United States and the United Kingdom, Iraqi Airways was only able to continue domestic flights for limited periods. Internationally, Baghdad was able to receive occasional charter flights carrying medicine, aid workers, and government officials. Royal Jordanian Airlines operated regular flights from Amman to Baghdad.

2003–2005
Inside view of the terminal in 2003, showing an abandoned and nonfunctional FIDS (note the red and white icon for the long-defunct East German airline Interflug in the fourth row from the bottom), in front of empty check-in desks and passport control

In April 2003, US-led coalition forces invaded Iraq and changed the airport's name from Saddam International Airport to Baghdad International Airport. The ICAO code for the airport consequently changed from ORBS to ORBI; the IATA code subsequently switched from SDA to BGW, which previously referred to all Baghdad airports and before that to Al Muthana Airport when Saddam was in power.

Civilian control of the airport was returned to the Iraqi Government in 2004.

2005–present

Sather Air Base came under fire from periodic rocket attacks from Baghdad. On 6 December 2006 a 107 rocket attack landed 30 yards (meters) from a parked C-5A aircraft placing scores of shrapnel holes in the aircraft.

Terminal C has been refreshed with three active gate areas for carriers operating from the airport.

In January 2015, a FlyDubai jet carrying 154 passengers was struck by gunfire as it landed at the airport. One passenger was injured when at least three bullets struck the plane. After the incident, UAE carriers FlyDubai and Emirates suspended their flights from Dubai to Baghdad. Flights by Turkish Airlines and Royal Jordanian were also temporarily suspended.[4]

Baghdad Airport Road, connecting to the Green Zone, which was once a dangerous route full of IEDs, has been refurbished with palm trees, manicured lawns, and a fountain, with Turkish assistance.[5]

On 3 January 2020, a U.S. drone strike killed Qasem Soleimani, leader of Iran's Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, as their convoy left the airport on or near Baghdad Airport Road.[6][7][8]

Military use

Within the airport there is a separate enclave called the New Al Muthana Air Base where the Iraqi Air Force's 23rd Squadron is based with three Lockheed C-130E Hercules transport aircraft. It is also home to a number of Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot"s.[9]

Sather Air Base or Camp Sather was a United States Air Force base on the west side of the airport occupied from 2003 to 2011 during the Iraq War. It was named in memory of Combat Controller Staff Sergeant Scott Sather, the first enlisted Airman to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sather was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for his leadership of a 24th Special Tactics Squadron reconnaissance task force during the initial stages of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Airport developments

On 18 May 2010, plans were unveiled for an expansion of Baghdad International Airport, which would double its capacity to 15 million passengers per year. The expansion, to be funded by foreign investors, would include the construction of three new terminals and the refurbishment of the existing three terminals, which would each accommodate 2.5 million passengers annually.[10]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Air Arabia Sharjah
Aircompany Armenia Yerevan[11]
AnadoluJet Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[12]
ATA Airlines Ardabil, Gorgan, Tabriz
Cham Wings Airlines Damascus
EgyptAir Cairo
Emirates Dubai–International
FlyBaghdad Amman–Queen Alia, Ankara, Beirut, Damascus,[13] Erbil, Istanbul, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Seasonal: Samsun
flydubai Dubai–International[4]
flynas Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh[14]
Gulf Air Bahrain
Iran Air Isfahan, Kerman, Mashhad, Rasht, Sari, Tabriz, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Zahedan
Iran Aseman Airlines Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Iraqi Airways Ahmedabad, Amman–Queen Alia, Ankara, Antalya, Baku, Basra, Beirut, Berlin, Cairo, Copenhagen, Damascus, Delhi, Dubai–International, Düsseldorf, Erbil, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, Isfahan, Istanbul, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen, Karachi, Kerman, Kirkuk, Kuala Lumpur–International, Kuwait, London–Gatwick, Manchester, Mashhad, Moscow–Vnukovo,[15] Mumbai, Munich,[16] Nasiriyah, Stockholm–Arlanda, Sulaymaniyah, Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Seasonal: Minsk
Seasonal charter: Hurghada,[17] Jeddah, Kish Island, Medina, Sharm El Sheikh, Trabzon,[17] Yazd, Zahedan
Jordan Aviation Amman–Queen Alia
Mahan Air Shiraz, Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Middle East Airlines Beirut
Nile Air Cairo
Seasonal charter: Sharm El Sheikh[18]
Onur Air Istanbul
Seasonal: Antalya,[19] Bodrum[19]
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Qatar Airways Doha
Qeshm Airlines Isfahan, Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Royal Jordanian Amman–Queen Alia[20]
Saudia Jeddah
SaudiGulf Airlines Medina
Syrian AirDamascus
Taban AirIsfahan
Turkish Airlines Ankara,[21] Antalya, Istanbul[22]
UR Airlines[23] Amman–Queen Alia, Ankara, Antalya, Samsun

Cargo
Aerial view of Baghdad International Airport
A flying carpet sculpture on the wall at BIAP. (2011)
AirlinesDestinations
Coyne Airways Dubai-International[24]
EgyptAir Cargo Cairo[25]
Silk Way Airlines Baku[26]
Turkish Cargo Istanbul-Atatürk[27]

Incidents and accidents
  • On 25 December 1986, Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737-200 flying from Baghdad to Amman, Jordan, was hijacked and damaged by a bomb in flight. The bomb exploded in the cockpit, causing the plane to crash in the Saudi Arabian desert, killing 63 of the 106 on board.[28]
  • On 29 November 1987, Korean Air Flight 858, a Boeing 707-3B5C, was destroyed by a bomb over the Andaman Sea. The bomb was left by two North Korean agents who had boarded in Baghdad but got off in Abu Dhabi. The plane was flying the Baghdad-Abu Dhabi-Bangkok-Seoul flight. All 104 passengers and 11 crew died.
  • On 22 November 2003, a European Air Transport Airbus A300B4 freighter, registered OO-DLL, operating on behalf of DHL Aviation, was hit by an SA-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. Civilian planes now routinely perform corkscrew landings to minimise the risk of damage from surface weapons.[29]
  • On 26 January 2015, a flydubai Boeing 737-800 flying from Dubai to Baghdad was hit by small-arms fire on approach to Baghdad International Airport with 154 passengers on board. The plane landed safely.[30]
  • On 3 January 2020, the US Air Force launched a drone strike near the airport, killing ten people, including the general in command of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qasem Soleimani.[31]

See also

References
  1. Airport information for ORBI at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
  2. Airport information for SDA at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. Technology Transfer to the Middle East: Summary. DIANE Publishing. 1984. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-4289-2383-6.
  4. Fahim, Kareem (27 January 2015). "Airlines Suspend Flights to Iraq's Baghdad Airport After Jet Is Hit by Gunfire". Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  5. Arango, Tim (20 November 2014). "Amid Mutual Suspicion, Turkish Premier Visits Iraq". The New York Times Company. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. 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. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  9. AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. August 2014. p. 22.
  10. http://logisticsweek.com/air/2010/05/baghdad-airport-unveils-plans-for-terminal-expansion/%5B%5D
  11. Liu, Jim (25 April 2019). "Armenia schedules new service to Iraq in S19". Routesonline. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  12. Liu, Jim. "Turkish Airlines confirms AnadoluJet network transition from late-March 2020". Routesonline. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "أول ناقل وطني سعودي إلى العراق". Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  15. Liu, Jim (11 October 2017). "Iraqi Airways Germany / Russia service changes from Oct 2017". Routesonline. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  16. Liu, Jim (21 March 2019). "Iraqi Airways adds Munich service from late-March 2019". Routesonline. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  17. "Iraqi Airways files Hurghada / Trabzon schedules from July 2019". routesonline.com. 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  18. "Nile Air schedules Baghdad charters from July 2019". routesonline.com. 27 June 2019. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  19. Liu, Jim. "Onur Air expands Iraq network in S19". Routesonline. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  20. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/gulf-air-and-royal-jordanian-suspend-service-to-iraq-amid-regional-tensions/135996.article
  21. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. "Istanbul New Airport Transition Delayed Until April 5, 2019 (At The Earliest)". Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  23. Liu, Jim. "UR Airlines files S20 network". Routesonline. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  24. conyeair.com - Gulf Schedule Archived 4 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 24 November 2019
  25. Ltd, DVV Media International. "Dnata scoops new Egyptair Cargo handling deal in Dubai ǀ Air Cargo News". www.aircargonews.net. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  26. silkwayairlines.com - Our network Archived 3 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 24 November 2019
  27. 2017, UBM (UK) Ltd. "Turkish Airlines Cargo adds new destinations in W16". Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. Roberts, Katherine; Freudenheim, Milt; Clarity, James F. (28 December 1986). "THE WORLD; 62 Are Killed In Hijacking Of Iraqi Jetliner". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  29. "The opinion pollsters who dodged mortar fire and militias". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  30. "Boeing Hit by Gunfire in Baghdad". Airliner World: 83. March 2015.
  31. Cohen, Zachary; Alkhshali, Hamdi; Khadder, Kareem; Dewan, Angela (4 January 2020). Almasy, Steve; Roth, Richard; Diamond, Jeremy; Walsh, Nick Paton; LeBlanc, Paul; Robertson, Nic; Collins, Kaitlan; Basil, Yousuf; Hansler, Jennifer (eds.). "US drone strike ordered by Trump kills top Iranian commander in Baghdad". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved 4 January 2020.

Media related to Baghdad International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.