Iraqi MP exposes deteriorating conditions at Baghdad Airport
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, an Iraqi MP called on the Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to urgently intervene to resolve the “dismal situation” at Baghdad International Airport.
In a video shot inside the Babylon Terminal of the airport, MP Adnan Husein Al-Saabari documented scenes showing the poor infrastructure and delays in baggage distribution.
Al-Saabari said, “The ceilings in Babylon Terminal have been under construction for 17 days without completion,” adding that “baggage distribution is halted, with officials passing the blame among themselves, while passengers wait over an hour without receiving their luggage.”
Al-Saabri stressed that these scenes represent a clear message to the Civil Aviation Authority and the PM about the “deteriorating conditions” at the airport.
This comes amid controversy sparked by Baghdad International Airport Director, Harith Al-Obaidi, who sparked a wide debate on social media after a television interview in which he claimed that “the airport's health facilities in certain terminals had been upgraded to become some of the best and most advanced in the world” while discussing airport development stages.
The General Company for Airports and Air Navigation is actively involved in infrastructure rehabilitation, modernizing, and upgrading existing facilities to ensure the delivery of top-tier services to passengers.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Transport in November 2024, the ministry emphasized that the technical and economic feasibility of the airport’s rehabilitation is aimed at boosting its capacity to handle a larger number of passengers.
The agreement pertains solely to the rehabilitation of the airport and its facilities, and the management of Iraq’s airspace remains under the responsibility of the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation, the ministry clarified.
Furthermore, the rehabilitation project will create new employment opportunities for Iraqis, with a clear demand for staff from the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation, the statement pointed out.
The statement also noted that the consultancy study includes the construction of a new passenger terminal, capable of accommodating the projected increase in air traffic until 2036, which will raise Baghdad International Airport’s annual capacity to 8.5 to 9 million passengers.
