Baghdad International Airport

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Inside view of the terminal, showing a disfunctional and an abandoned FIDS (note the FIDS still shows Iran Air, and Interflug on the screen) in front of empty check-in desks and passport control.

Baghdad International Airport (IATA: BGW, ICAO: ORBI) (Arabic: مطار بغداد الدولي‎); , BIAP is Iraq's largest airport, located in a suburb about 16 km (10 miles) west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate.

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-1991

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The entrance when the airport was called Saddam International Airport

Saddam International Airport was constructed with the assistance of French firms between 1979 and 1982 at a cost of over US$900 million. Then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein authorized the airport's construction and had it named after himself. As a result the airport's three-letter IATA code became SDA.

Designed to accommodate both civil and military operations, Baghdad International can handle up to 7.5 million passengers per year in aircraft of all sizes. The passenger terminal consists of three gate areas. These were originally named after the cities of the ancient empires that once existed in present-day Iraq: Babylon, Samarra, and Nineveh. They are now simply called A, B and C.

The airport also had its own VIP terminal, which had a luxuriously furnished and decorated lounge, conference room and bedroom. This terminal is a VIP terminal, to welcome foreign leaders and other people of significance.

It is the hub for Iraq's international airline, Iraqi Airways, and it was once served by several other international airlines.

[edit] 1991-2003

Baghdad International Airport

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. The Royal Jordanian planes were allowed to refuel free of charge in Iraq. This made this route very lucrative for the airline.

Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003. As a result, his name was dropped from the airport, and it is now known as Baghdad International Airport. The ICAO code for the airport consequently changed from ORBS to ORBI; however, the IATA code SDA remains. The often misused IATA code BGW now refers to all Baghdad airports and previously was the code for Al Muthana Airport.

The most visible and notable building in this area was the Bob Hope Dining Facility, a large, white, fabric-skinned, elongated dome. President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to the Bob Hope on Thanksgiving day, November 27, 2003 and had dinner with the servicemen present.

The Bob Hope Dining Facility and the entire coalition installation on the eastern side of the airport terminal area was dismantled and the area abandoned prior to the 2004 turnover of the airport to the Iraqi people.

Terminal C, one of three gate areas, has been spruced up with new potted plants and polished floors. The duty-free shop has reopened as well. There are still renovations on-going throughout the airport to return it to its former self. Coordinates: 33°15′45″N 044°14′04″E / 33.2625°N 44.23444°E / 33.2625; 44.23444

[edit] Current air services status

The airport officially reverted to civilian control on 25 August 2004. Iraqi Airways resumed regular flights to Amman, Jordan, and FedEx Express and DHL begun civilian and military cargo services.

In 2003 and early 2004, three aircraft were hit by three insurgent surface-to-air heat seeking missiles. In the first, a DHL Airbus cargo plane was hit at 10,000', in what was later known as the DHL shootdown incident, landing minutes later with a wing in flames. Next, a C17 Globemaster was hit on a pre-dawn takeoff, but also landed safely. The landowning unit, 1st Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery, was given twice the land and two additional companies after the first two strikes. A month later in 2004, a C5A Galaxy was struck in another pre-dawn strike. It landed safely, but this time Eagle Troop, 2nd Cavalry Regiment captured the assailants after a high speed chase that ended in southern Baghdad. Effective firing has since ceased, but still today, aircraft take palpable precautionary measures. Aircraft take off and land at the airport using a "corkscrew maneuver," a spiraling pattern of climbing and descending directly over the airport to avoid coming within range of small arms and missiles on the ground. The unusual and uncomfortable takeoff and landing procedures are still used despite the significantly improved security situation.

Currently Sabre International Security provides the ground and aviation security at the BIAP. The personnel consists of ex-pat nationals in key and supervisor roles and local nationals and a mixed Gurkha and Ugandan guard force.

An Iraqi Airways Boeing 737-200 taxiing infront of Baghdad International Airport control tower. (2008)

Since July 2003, the civilian areas of the airport have been secured by civilian contractors. From July 2003 to June 2004, an American firm, Custer Battles, secured the airport under a contract from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). At the completion of their contract, coinciding with the dissolution of the CPA, the Iraq Ministry of Transportation awarded a contract to the British security firm Global RSL.^[3] The terminal area is currently secured by a private force of 500 Iraqi and Gurkha guards. The main road from the airport to downtown Baghdad, nicknamed "Route Irish," was infamous as one of the most dangerous routes in the world - today however there is a heavy military presence across the whole route all the way to the International (Green) Zone and attacks are rare.

Most airport workers now live in a secure area located near the airport, and within the ring of Coalition military bases that surround the airport. Security within the airport complex is typical of most international airports.

On 8 November 2004, as part of a general US and Iraqi assault against Fallujah, Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi closed the airport for 48 hours, with the stated reason of preventing insurgents from leaving the country.

There have been two 48 hour closures due to pay disputes between the British Contracting firm that provides security and the Iraqi Transportation Ministry. ^[4]

The second time this occurred, Iraqi troops were sent in to fill the roles left behind and the Iraqi Government agreed to pay 50% of the bill. Other airport closures in 2006 and 2007 were part of general Baghdad-wide vehicle curfews intended to hinder mobility of insurgents. As the security situation improves, this extreme tool is used less frequently.

Through 2005, some days saw no flights while most days were limited to one flight. The terminal appeared almost abandoned. Into 2008, there are now crowds of people, particularly on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, with long lines of passengers waiting to pass through security. Flights to Irbil, Tehran, Ankara, Basra, and other domestic or regional flights occur throughout the day. Typical weekdays include three flights to Irbil alone. Despite speculation by the media, both arriving and departing flights are typically full.

On 29 April 2005, Air Scotland announced its intentions to begin a Glasgow-London Stansted-Irbil-Baghdad service. Although initial intentions were to begin this route in November 2005 with Tristar jetliners, this service never started and Air Scotland is now defunct.

Euro Air Cargo of Czech Republic, plans to launch a service to Baghdad International Airport in the future.^[5] The airline is yet to launch operations of any sort.

In December 2006, an Iraqi Airways affiliated travel agency in the UK announced a direct Baghdad to London route scheduled to start service twice weekly in early 2007. The website^[6] even lists prices and includes the ability to book tickets. At 2008, the plans failed to go ahead.

In October 2008, Turkish Airlines launched nonstop service to Baghdad from Istanbul Ataturk International Airport with three weekly flights, thus becoming the first airline to resume service from Europe to the Iraqi capital since UN sanctions were imposed after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Due to a reduction in violence in 2008, passenger traffic at BIAP increased dramatically.

On 2 January 2009 the Swedish-based airline Nordic Airways operated the first flight between Western Europe and Iraq in 17 years when a flight carrying about 150 passengers ran between Copenhagen and Baghdad.^[7] The airline has since suspended operations.

In June 2009, Iraqi Airways revealed that they have been given the go ahead to resume direct Baghdad-London Heathrow and Karachi flights. No dates have yet been annouced. ^[8]

In July 2009, Gulf Air revealed that they are planning on launching flights to Baghdad and Najaf from Bahrain International Airport.^[9] They plan to begin flights in September 2009.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Cargo airlines

• Royal Jordanian Cargo (Amman)

[edit] Coalition installations

The following is a list of installations within the Victory Base Complex:

• Camp Cropper
• Camp Dublin
• Camp Liberty
• Sather Air Base
• Camp Slayer
• Camp Striker
• Camp Victory
• Logistics Base Seitz

[edit] Incidents and accidents

• 25 December 1986: Iraqi Airways Flight 163 - A Boeing 737 flying from Baghdad to Amman, Jordan, was hijacked. It later crashed in Saudi Arabia, killing 63 people.
• 29 November 1987: Korean Air Flight 858 - Two North Korean agents planted a bomb on the Baghdad-Abu Dhabi-Bangkok-Seoul flight. All of the passengers and crew died.
• 22 November 2003: European Air Transport OO-DLL, operating on behalf of DHL Aviation, was hit by an SA-7 'Grail' missile after take-off. The airplane lost hydraulic pressure and thus the controls. 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.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Baghdad International Airport

Wikinews has related news: Baghdad International Airport

• Iraqi Airways UK Website
• Iraqi Airways Official Website
• Globalsecurity.org profile
• Christian Science Monitor article on reconstruction, October 2003
• Iconos satellite photo - January, 2005
• Extensive photographs of Baghdad Airport - 12.07.2004
• TIME-Life In Hell, a Baghdad Diary.
• Accident history for BGW at Aviation Safety Network