Baghdad International Airport

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Baghdad International Airport مطار بغداد الدولي

IATA: SDA - ICAO: ORBI
Summary
Airport type		Public and military
Operator		United States Air Force/Iraqi Government
Serves		Baghdad
Elevation AMSL		111 ft (34 m)
Coordinates		33°15′45.14″N, 044°14′04.48″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
15R/33L	10,767	3,282	Concrete
15L/33R	13,103	3,994	Concrete

Inside view of the terminal, showing an abandoned FIDS in front of empty check-in desks and passport control.

Former Saddam International Airport

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

Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the airport was named Saddam International Airport after the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Although the name was changed in the invasion's wake, Baghdad retains its former IATA airport code of SDA (although some airlines use the code BGW). Its ICAO airport code was ORBS, but changed to ORBI in 2003. The airport and the surrounding military complex are referred to as BIAP (buy-op) by coalition civil and military authorities.

1 History
2 Current status
3 Airlines
4 Stopped Airlines
5 Coalition Installations
6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-1991

Saddam International Airport was constructed with the assistance of French firms between 1979 and 1982 at a cost of over US$900 million, which was never repaid to France by Iraq.[1] 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 was used by Saddam Hussein 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. On December 25, 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.

[edit] 1991-2003

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 only able to receive occasional charter flights carrying medicine, aid workers, and government officials.

[edit] 2003-Present

On April 3, 2003, United States forces led by the 3d Infantry Division seized Saddam International Airport as part of the invasion of Baghdad, and then immediately changed the name to "Baghdad International Airport". Also, the "Saddam" signage was removed from the terminal buildings and replaced with "Baghdad". All paintings depicting the former leader have now been removed.

By mid-year, the airport had became a small city of tents and trailers housing 10,000 American servicemen. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided a budget of over $17 million to restore the terminal and airfield to operational status. A make shift Burger King restaurant was established by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) at the U.S. 1st Armored Division headquarters sector of the airport in June 2003. The Royal Australian Air Force provided sixty air traffic controllers.

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.

President Bush visits the troops at the Bob Hope Dining Facility

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, yet the US military posted at Baghdad have restrictions in using the facilities by General Order No. 1.. There are still renovations on-going throughout the airport to return it to its former self.

[edit] Current status

The airport officially reverted to civilian control on August 25, 2004. Iraqi Airways and Royal Jordanian Airlines currently operate regular flights to Amman, Jordan, and DHL operates civilian cargo service. However, the airport's perimeter is regularly threatened by Iraqi insurgents; aircraft taking off and landing at the airport use 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. A DHL Airbus cargo plane was hit by a surface to air missile shortly after takeoff from the airport in 2003, in what was later known as the DHL shootdown incident. The aircraft performed a successful emergency landing but suffered serious damage to its left wing.

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.[2] 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," is now infamous as one of the most dangerous routes in the world.

British Airways, Air Canada, American Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic Airways have all expressed interest in operating services from Baghdad to the US, Canada, and UK in the near future.

On November 8, 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 terrorists from leaving the country.

On April 29, 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.

There have been two 48 hour closures due to pay disputes between the British Contracting firm that provides security and the Iraqi Transportation Ministry[3]. 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.