Arbil International Airport

Erbil International Airport
Firokaxaney Nêwdewletî Hewlêr
فڕۆکه‌خانه‌ی نێوده‌وڵه‌تی هه‌ولێر
Arbil International Airport
IATA: EBLICAO: ORER
EBL
Location of airport in Arbil
Summary
Airport type Public گشتی
Operator Kurdistan Regional Government حکومه‌تی هه‌ريمی کوردستان
Serves Arbil (هه‌ولير)
Location Ankawa (عه‌نکاوه)
Elevation AMSL 1,341 ft / 409 m
Website www.erbilairport.net
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
15/33 2,803 9,197 Asphalt
18/36 4,800 15,748 Concrete

Arbil International Airport (IATA: EBLICAO: ORER), is the main airport of Arbil (also written Erbil or Irbil, Hewlêr in Kurdish) in the Kurdistan Autonomous Region in northern Iraq.

It is administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) under a special committee consisting of the Prime Minister, Barham Salih, and is one of two international airports in Kurdistan. The new modern airport opened its doors in 2010.

Currently, Irbil International Airport offers the least expensive aviation fuel in Iraq. It is more expensive in Baghdad even though a refinery (Dora) is much closer. As of 2010, the EIA selling price is 83 US cents per litre.[1] In Baghdad, it is 94 US cents per litre. Iraqi aviation fuel is more expensive than in any surrounding country. Plans are being made for EIA to offer among the least expensive fuel in the Middle East and perhaps in the world at less than 50 US cents per litre.

Contents

History

The airport was originally built at the beginning of the 1970s as an Iraqi military base. The airstrip was used as a military base until 1991 by the Baath regime as a result of United Nations Security Council establishing a no-fly zone over northern Iraq. After the 2003 Iraq War, 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 Kurdistan is growing rapidly. The city of Arbil has been the recipient of foreign investments. Due to the growing need for safe access into the country, the Kurdistan Regional Government, under the leadership of then Prime Minister have invested US$500 million in the construction of a new and modern airport.

Old airport

The old airport of Arbil International Airport covered 7,000 m2 (75,000 sq ft), and was divided into departure and arrival halls. It had 3 gates and the runway, which was originally intended for military purposes, was 2,800 m (9,200 ft) long and was provided with an ILS system. Its services included the Kurdistan International Bank, a Tourism Information office, the airline companies offices, duty-free shops, a cafeteria, and the Korek Telecom office.

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 is handled by Dnata, an experienced, professional Dubai company. Dnata also does ground handling at airports in other countries, including the UK, Switzerland, and Australia.

New airport

Recently, the new terminal was opened.

Ground operations

Following the American control and since 2002, Skylink Aviation has been providing ground operations and fuel supply at the airport.[2]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
Air Berlin Düsseldorf
Atlasjet Istanbul-Atatürk
Austrian Airlines Vienna
EgyptAir Cairo
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi
Flydubai Dubai
Germania Munich
Lufthansa Frankfurt
Middle East Airlines Beirut
Pegasus Airlines Ankara
Royal Jordanian Amman-Queen Alia
Tor Air Stockholm-Arlanda
Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk
Viking Hellas Amsterdam, Athens, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Manchester, Malmö, Gothenburg-Landvetter, Stockholm-Arlanda

Cargo airlines

Airlines Destinations
DHL Aviation
Emirates SkyCargo Dubai
Etihad Crystal Cargo Abu Dhabi
Jordan International Air Cargo Amman-Marka
RUS Aviation

References

External links

Iraq portal
Kurdistan portal
Aviation portal