Wikipedia

Erbil International Airport

Erbil International Airport (IATA: EBL, ICAO: ORER) (Arabic: مطار اربيل الدولي) (Kurdish: فڕۆکه‌خانه‌ی نێوده‌وڵه‌تیی هه‌ولێر), is an airport in the city of Erbil in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is one of two international airports in the KRI, the other being Sulaymaniyah Airport, with a third in Duhok being under construction. The new modern airport opened in 2005. The airport has one of the longest runways in the world.

Erbil International Airport

مطار اربيل الدولي

فڕۆکه‌خانه‌ی نێوده‌وڵه‌تیی هه‌ولێر
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorFederal government of Iraq, Kurdistan Regional Government[1]
ServesErbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
LocationErbil
Hub for
Elevation AMSL1,363 ft / 415 m
Coordinates36°14′15″N 043°57′47″E / 36.23750°N 43.96306°E / 36.23750; 43.96306
Websiteeia.krd
Map
ORER is located in Iraqi Kurdistan
ORER
ORER
Location in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
ORER is located in Iraq
ORER
ORER
ORER (Iraq)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
18/36 4,800 15,748 Concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers1,862,854
Aircraft operations17,896
Source: ICAA,[2] COSIT.[3]

History

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The airport was built at the beginning of the 1970s as an Iraqi military base. The airstrip was used as a military base until 1991 by the Ba'ath Party regime as a result of United Nations Security Council establishing a no-fly zone over northern Iraq. After the 2003 US invasion, the Kurdistan Regional Government took over administrative rule of the region. On 26 May 2005, the airport was given the ICAO airport code ORER. Endowed with natural resources including oil, natural gas and other minerals, investment in Iraq has increased substantially since 2005. The city of Erbil has been a large recipient of foreign investments.

Old airport

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The old Erbil airport covered 7,000 m2 (75,000 sq ft), and was divided into departure and arrival halls. It had three gates and a 2,800 m (9,200 ft) long runway with an ILS system.[4] The Kurdistan International Bank, a Tourism Information office, the airline companies offices, duty-free shops, a cafeteria, and the Korek Telecom office were located inside the terminal.

The warehouse offered cargo space amounting to 4,320 m2 (46,500 sq ft) and consisted of an import and an export section. The cargo was handled by Dnata, a Dubai-based company.[4]

New airport

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A newly built, US$550 million airport was opened on 5 July 2005.[4][5] The new airport is next to the old airport (previously a military field) and has one of the world's longest runways, 4,800 m × 75 m (15,748 ft × 246 ft) and is equipped for ILS CAT II operations.[4] The airport's new terminal has duty-free shops and currency exchange offices.[6] The terminal also has VIP areas for business jets, and there is a VIP terminal for visiting dignitaries and diplomats[5] for the purpose of achieving international airport standards.[7]

In 2010 Erbil International Airport had the least expensive aviation fuel in Iraq (at 83 US cents per litre).[8]

From 29 September 2017 until 14 March 2018, following the failed 2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum, all commercial international flights were suspended.[9] The airport remained open for domestic, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic flights.[10] The Iraqi government has been operating the airport since.

Drone attacks

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The airport has been the target of numerous drone strikes by Iran-backed Shi'ite militias in 2021.[11] On 15 April, a drone carrying explosives targeted the military section of the airport. The section housed US-led forces, and no casualties were reported.[12] On 6 July, another drone targeted the same section of the airport and crashed near the airport.[13] On 11 September, two drones carrying explosives failed to reach the airport; one was shot down by C-RAM air defense and the other one crashed. There were no casualties.[14]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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These are the airlines and destinations served from Erbil Airport:[15]

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Athens (begins 23 February 2025)[16]
Air Arabia Sharjah
AJet Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[17]
Austrian Airlines Vienna
Cham Wings Airlines Aleppo (suspended),[18] Damascus (both suspended)[19]
Egyptair Cairo
Eurowings Berlin,[20] Cologne/Bonn (begins 7 May 2025),[21] Düsseldorf, Hamburg,[22] Stuttgart[23]
Fly Baghdad Aleppo (suspended),[24] Baghdad, Damascus (suspended),[25] Medina
flydubai Dubai–International[26]
FlyErbil Amsterdam, Baku,[27] Beirut, Berlin,[28] Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen, Damascus (suspended),[29] Dubai–International, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hannover,[30] Istanbul, London–Gatwick, Munich
Iraqi Airways Amman–Queen Alia, Ankara, Baghdad, Baku, Basra, Berlin, Cairo, Copenhagen, Dubai–International, Düsseldorf,[31] Frankfurt, Istanbul, Munich, Najaf, Sulaymaniyah
Mahan Air Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Sanandaj (soon)
Middle East Airlines Beirut[32]
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Qatar Airways Doha[33]
Royal Jordanian Amman–Queen Alia
SunExpress Seasonal: Antalya[34]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi[35]

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinations
Royal Jordanian Cargo[36] Amman–Queen Alia
Turkish Cargo[37] Istanbul

Statistics

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As of 2022, Erbil International Airport is the third-busiest airport in Iraq, behind Baghdad International Airport and Al Najaf International Airport. It is the busiest airport in the Kurdistan Region.

Annual Passenger & Cargo Traffic[38]
Year Passengers % Change Aircraft

movements

% Change Cargo (MT) % Change
2006 163,619   4,894   N/A —
2007 275,183   68% 9,815  100.5% 10,000  
2008 302,000   10% 7,745  21% 14,500   45%
2009 356,850   18% 7,557   2.4% 11,533   20%
2010 449,536   26% 7,235   4.2% 10,848   6%
2011 620,365   38% 7,366   1.8% 17,864   65%
2012 947,600   53% 9,021   22.4% 27,488   54%
2013 1,193,783   26% 12,229   35.5% 38,571   40%
2014 1,565,998   31% 16,218   32.6% 33,527   13%
2015 1,665,701   6.3% 18,864   16.3% 22,742   32.1%
2016 1,814,272   8.9% 19,080   1.1% 23,462   3.1%
2017 1,606,531   11.4% 15,294   19.8% 17,574   25%
2018 1,533,863   4.5% 15,562   1.7% 16,505   6%
2019 1,909,785   24.5% 19,560   25.7% 23,899   44.8%
2020 506,263   73.5% 6,054   69% 18,826   21.2%
2021 1,247,113   146.3% 13,970   130.8% 16,473   12.5%
2022 1,862,854   49.4% 17,896   28.1% 16,566   0.6%

Incidents

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  • On 6 July 2021, a series of attacks against the airport were reported, including drone and rocket attacks.[39]
  • Erbil Airport has been targeted numerous times during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.[40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Baghdad to end air blockade of Iraqi Kurdistan". France24.
  2. ^ "Iraq's AIP. Consolidated edition, February, 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  3. ^ "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2022" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Old & New". erbilairport.com.
  5. ^ a b "A winning design". erbilairport.com. 26 May 2005.
  6. ^ "Shops and Services". erbilairport.com.
  7. ^ Erbil International. "Airport". www.erbilairport.com.
  8. ^ EIA informs of one liter fuel in Erbil is $0.83
  9. ^ Erbil International Airport. "Baghdad 'No fly Zone' looms for Kurdistan airports". erbilairport.com.
  10. ^ "Iraqi govt enforces international flight ban in Kurdistan region - France 24". 29 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Iraq's Erbil airport targeted in drone attack: Kurdish officials". 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Iraq's Erbil airport targeted by explosives-laden drone". 15 April 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Explosive-laden drone hit Erbil airport in Iraq, aimed at U.S. base -security sources". Reuters. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Two explosive-laden drones target Erbil International Airport". 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  15. ^ Erbil Airport Flight Schedule
  16. ^ "Aegean to fly to Iraq and Azerbaijan in 2025". 9 December 2024.
  17. ^ Liu, Jim. "Turkish Airlines confirms AnadoluJet network transition from late-March 2020". Routesonline. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Rebels said to enter Damascus as army reportedly abandons airport". www.timesofisrael.com. The Times of Israel. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Rebels said to enter Damascus as army reportedly abandons airport". www.timesofisrael.com. The Times of Israel. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Berlin Brandenburg nach Erbil". Eurowings.
  21. ^ "Eurowings NS25 Network Additions – 01DEC24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Hamburg nach Erbil". Eurowings.
  23. ^ "Stuttgart nach Erbil". Eurowings.
  24. ^ "Rebels said to enter Damascus as army reportedly abandons airport". www.timesofisrael.com. The Times of Israel. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  25. ^ "Rebels said to enter Damascus as army reportedly abandons airport". www.timesofisrael.com. The Times of Israel. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  26. ^ Flydubai Flight. "Timetables". flydubai.
  27. ^ Liu, Jim (30 May 2024). "FlyErbil Adds Baku Service From mid-June 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  28. ^ "FlyErbil Adds Berlin / Damascus Service in 2Q23".
  29. ^ "Rebels said to enter Damascus as army reportedly abandons airport". www.timesofisrael.com. The Times of Israel. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  30. ^ "Fünf zusätzliche Airlines starten ab Hannover". aeroTELEGRAPH. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  31. ^ "Iraqi Airways Resumes Dusseldorf Service from Nov 2023". AeroRoutes. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  32. ^ MEA. "Timetable". www.mea.com.lb. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  33. ^ DOH. "Booking". www.qatarairways.com.
  34. ^ "SunExpress Announces 2021 Summer Program". ftnnews.com. 23 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Wizz Air Abu Dhabi schedules Erbil debut in Oct 2023". Aeroroutes. 21 July 2023.
  36. ^ rj-cargo.com - Destinations retrieved 27 January 2021
  37. ^ "Turkish Airlines cargo 2015 winter schedule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  38. ^ "Statistics". www.eia.krd.
  39. ^ "Attack on Erbil airport in Iraq reported". 7 July 2021.
  40. ^ Bechocha, Julian. "Explosive-laden drones strike US base near Erbil airport". www.rudaw.net. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
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