Erbil International Airport مطار أربيل الدولي فڕۆکهخانهی نێودهوڵهتیی ههولێر | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Federal government of Iraq,Kurdistan Regional Government[1] | ||||||||||
| Serves | Erbil,Kurdistan Region,Iraq | ||||||||||
| Location | Erbil | ||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,363 ft / 415 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 36°14′15″N043°57′47″E / 36.23750°N 43.96306°E /36.23750; 43.96306 | ||||||||||
| Website | eia.krd | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  ORER Iraq | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||
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| Source: ICAA,[2] COSIT.[3] | |||||||||||
Erbil International Airport (IATA:EBL,ICAO:ORER) (Kurdish:فڕۆکهخانهی نێودهوڵهتیی ههولێر,romanized: Balafirgeha Navneteweyî ya Hewlêrê,Arabic:مطار أربيل الدولي), is an airport in the city ofErbil inKurdistan Region,Iraq. It is one of two international airports in the KRI, the other beingSulaymaniyah Airport, with a third inDuhok being under construction. The current airport opened in 2005 and has one of thelongest runways in the world.
The airport was built by theBa'athist regime at the beginning of the 1970s as an Iraqimilitary base. The airstrip was used as a military base until 1991 by theBa'ath Party regime as a result ofUnited Nations Security Council establishing a no-fly zone over northernIraq. After the2003 US invasion, theKurdistan Regional Government took over administrative rule of the region. On 26 May 2005, the airport was given theICAO 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.[4]
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 anILS system.[5] The Kurdistan International Bank, a Tourism Information office, the airline companies offices,duty-free shops, a cafeteria, and theKorek 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 byDnata, aDubai-based company.[5]
A newly built, US$550 million airport was opened on 5 July 2005.[5][6] The new airport is next to the old airport (previously a military field) and has one of theworld's longest runways, 4,800 m × 75 m (15,748 ft × 246 ft) and is equipped forILS CAT II operations.[5] The airport's new terminal has duty-free shops and currency exchange offices.[7] The terminal also has VIP areas for business jets, and there is a VIP terminal for visiting dignitaries and diplomats[6] for the purpose of achieving international airport standards.[8]
In 2010, Erbil International Airport had the least expensive aviation fuel in Iraq (at 83 US cents per litre).[9]
From 29 September 2017 until 14 March 2018, following the failed2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum, all commercial international flights were suspended.[10] The airport remained open for domestic, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic flights.[11] The Iraqi government has been operating the airport since.[1]
The airport has been the target of numerous drone strikes by Iran-backed Shi'ite militias in 2021.[12] 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.[13] On 6 July, another drone targeted the same section of the airport and crashed near the airport.[14] On 11 September, two drones carrying explosives failed to reach the airport; one was shot down byC-RAM air defense and the other one crashed. There were no casualties.[15]
These are the airlines and destinations served from Erbil Airport:[16]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Royal Jordanian Cargo[40] | Amman–Queen Alia |
| Turkish Cargo[41] | Istanbul |
As of 2022, Erbil International Airport is the third-busiest airport in Iraq, behindBaghdad International Airport andAl Najaf International Airport. It is the busiest airport in theKurdistan Region.
| 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% |
