Erbil International Airport

Erbil International Airport is centrally located on the Silk Road of the Airways. A convenient and cutting edge facility, it is fully equipped to be a premier hub between East and West. Following the liberation of Iraq in 2003, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) decided to transform Erbil’s former military base into a modern civil aviation
airport to serve as a major gateway to the world. Erbil International Airport (EIA) officially opened on July 7, 2005, and it welcomed its first IATA carrier on December 11 the following year.

EIA is not only a world class airport by technical standards, but also in passenger comfort. Many travelers connect between long haul and regional flights. But Erbil is more than a transfer point; it is growing in importance as a final destination.

The KRG has enacted favorable rules to attract foreign investors and to help citizens of the Kurdistan Region in exile return home. Domestic traffic, as well as regional traffic throughout the expansive Middle East, is rapidly growing. Both have contributed to the constant increase in traffic at Erbil International Airport, even while the rest of the world began the current
slow down in 2009.

Kurdistan’s great natural resources of oil, natural gas and other minerals are creating a flourishing and rapidly growing business environment.

Many expatriates from Iraqi Kurdistan are returning, feeding a booming construction sector. Jobs abound, as well as a strong belief in the future.
Kurdistan is previously in exile are returning, bringing with them connections to other lands. There is an ever stronger need for efficient air transport, for passengers as well as cargo.

The Erbil area has a stable water supply, and is surrounded by lovely and accessible wilderness lands, with greenery, clean streams, waterfalls and caves. This stands in stark contrast to other Middle Eastern destinations,and visitors will fuel an important tourism industry in Kurdistan.

These are some of the reasons that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and EIA have constructed and equipped an airport for the future, with capacity for three million passengers, and one of the world’s longest runways, designed to accommodate the Airbus A380 and cargo aircraft of that class. Our new airport is the culmination of the vision and strategy put in place in 2003.

Erbil is on the way to reclaim its historic position along one of the world’s most important trade routes.