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Erbil International Airport

Airport in Kurdistan

Airport in Kurdistan

FieldValue
nameErbil International Airport
nativenameمطار أربيل الدولي
nativename-rفڕۆکه‌خانه‌ی نێوده‌وڵه‌تیی هه‌ولێر
imageErbil_Airport_logo.png
image-width250
image2Erbil International Airport - August 2025.jpg
image2-width250
IATAEBL
ICAOORER
typePublic
operatorFederal government of Iraq, Kurdistan Regional Government
city-servedErbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
locationErbil
hub
elevation-f1,363
coordinates
pushpin_map#Iraq
pushpin_labelORER
pushpin_map_captionIraq
website
metric-rwyyes
r1-number18/36
r1-length-m4,800
r1-surfaceConcrete
stat-year2022
stat1-headerPassengers
stat1-data1,862,854
stat2-headerAircraft operations
stat2-data17,896
footnotesSource: ICAA, COSIT.

| nativename-r = فڕۆکه‌خانه‌ی نێوده‌وڵه‌تیی هه‌ولێر | image-width = 250 | image2-width = 250 | city-served = Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

  • Iraqi Airways
  • Fly Erbil
  • UR Airlines | elevation-f = 1,363 | metric-rwy = yes | r1-number = 18/36 | r1-length-m = 4,800 | r1-surface = Concrete | stat-year = 2022 | stat1-header = Passengers | stat1-data = 1,862,854 | stat2-header = Aircraft operations | stat2-data = 17,896

Erbil International Airport (, ), 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 current airport opened in 2005 and has one of the longest runways in the world.

History

The airport was built by the Ba'athist regime 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

The old Erbil airport covered 7000 m2, and was divided into departure and arrival halls. It had three gates and a 2800 m long runway with an ILS system. 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 4320 m2 and consisted of an import and an export section. The cargo was handled by Dnata, a Dubai-based company.

New airport

A newly built, US$550 million airport was opened on 5 July 2005. The new airport is next to the old airport (previously a military field) and has one of the world's longest runways, 4800 x and is equipped for ILS CAT II operations. The airport's new terminal has duty-free shops and currency exchange offices. The terminal also has VIP areas for business jets, and there is a VIP terminal for visiting dignitaries and diplomats for the purpose of achieving international airport standards.

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

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

Drone attacks

The airport has been the target of numerous drone strikes by Iran-backed Shi'ite militias in 2021. 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. On 6 July, another drone targeted the same section of the airport and crashed near the airport. 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.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

These are the airlines and destinations served from Erbil Airport:

| Aegean Airlines | Athens | Air Arabia | Sharjah | AJet | Ankara, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen | Austrian Airlines | Vienna | Egyptair | Cairo | Eurowings | Berlin, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, Nuremberg, Stuttgart | Fly Baghdad | Aleppo (suspended), Baghdad, Damascus (suspended), Medina | Fly Cham | Damascus | Flydubai | Dubai–International | FlyErbil | Amsterdam, Athens, Baku, Beirut, Berlin, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen, Damascus (suspended), Dubai–International, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hannover, Istanbul, Latakia, London–Gatwick, Munich, Stuttgart | Iraqi Airways | Amman–Queen Alia, Ankara, Baghdad, Baku, Basra, Berlin, Cairo, Copenhagen, Dubai–International, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Munich, Najaf, Sulaymaniyah | Lufthansa | Frankfurt | Mahan Air | Tehran–Imam Khomeini | Middle East Airlines | Beirut | Pegasus Airlines | Adana/Mersin (begins 11 March 2026), Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen | Qatar Airways | Doha | Royal Jordanian | Amman–Queen Alia | SunExpress | Seasonal: Antalya | Turkish Airlines | Istanbul

Cargo

| Royal Jordanian Cargo | Amman–Queen Alia | Turkish Cargo | Istanbul

Statistics

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.

YearPassengers% ChangeAircraft% ChangeCargo (MT)% Change
2006163,6194,894N/A
2007275,18368%9,815100.5%10,000
2008302,00010%7,74521%14,50045%
2009356,85018%7,5572.4%11,53320%
2010449,53626%7,2354.2%10,8486%
2011620,36538%7,3661.8%17,86465%
2012947,60053%9,02122.4%27,48854%
20131,193,78326%12,22935.5%38,57140%
20141,565,99831%16,21832.6%33,52713%
20151,665,7016.3%18,86416.3%22,74232.1%
20161,814,2728.9%19,0801.1%23,4623.1%
20171,606,53111.4%15,29419.8%17,57425%
20181,533,8634.5%15,5621.7%16,5056%
20191,909,78524.5%19,56025.7%23,89944.8%
2020506,26373.5%6,05469%18,82621.2%
20211,247,113146.3%13,970130.8%16,47312.5%
20221,862,85449.4%17,89628.1%16,5660.6%

Incidents

  • On 6 July 2021, a series of attacks against the airport were reported, including drone and rocket attacks.
  • Erbil Airport has been targeted numerous times during the Gaza war.

References

References

  1. "Kurdish government accepts Baghdad's conditions to end dispute". Arab News.
  2. (September 2025). "Iraq's AIP. Consolidated edition, February, 2021".
  3. "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2022". Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT).
  4. (7 January 2024). "Erbil International Airport publishes travel statistics for 2023 year".
  5. "Old & New". erbilairport.com.
  6. (26 May 2005). "A winning design". erbilairport.com.
  7. "Shops and Services". erbilairport.com.
  8. "Airport".
  9. [http://www.erbilairport.com/INFO06/F_INFO06_01_02.aspx?articleId=359 EIA informs of one liter fuel in Erbil is $0.83]
  10. "Baghdad 'No fly Zone' looms for Kurdistan airports".
  11. (29 September 2017). "Iraqi govt enforces international flight ban in Kurdistan region". [[France 24]].
  12. (2021-09-11). "Iraq's Erbil airport targeted in drone attack: Kurdish officials".
  13. (2021-04-15). "Iraq's Erbil airport targeted by explosives-laden drone".
  14. (2021-07-06). "Explosive-laden drone hit Erbil airport in Iraq, aimed at U.S. base -security sources". Reuters.
  15. (2021-09-11). "Two explosive-laden drones target Erbil International Airport".
  16. [http://erbilairport.com/FLHT03/F_FLHT03_01_01.aspx Erbil Airport Flight Schedule]
  17. (9 December 2024). "Aegean to fly to Iraq and Azerbaijan in 2025".
  18. (24 September 2025). "AJet Adds Ankara – Erbil in NW25".
  19. "Turkish Airlines confirms AnadoluJet network transition from late-March 2020".
  20. "Berlin Brandenburg nach Erbil".
  21. "Eurowings NS25 Network Additions – 01DEC24".
  22. "Hamburg nach Erbil".
  23. (15 January 2025). "Eurowings erweitert Sommerflugplan um neue Ziele". Aero Telegraph.
  24. "Eurowings Adds Nuremberg – Middle East Route in NW25".
  25. "Stuttgart nach Erbil".
  26. (8 December 2024). "Rebels said to enter Damascus as army reportedly abandons airport". The Times of Israel.
  27. (8 December 2024). "Rebels said to enter Damascus as army reportedly abandons airport". The Times of Israel.
  28. "Fly Cham NS25 Operations Overview".
  29. "Timetables".
  30. (1 August 2025). "FLY ERBIL PLANS ATHENS REGULAR SERVICE FROM SEP 2025".
  31. (30 May 2024). "FlyErbil Adds Baku Service From mid-June 2024". AeroRoutes.
  32. "FlyErbil Adds Berlin / Damascus Service in 2Q23".
  33. (8 December 2024). "Rebels said to enter Damascus as army reportedly abandons airport". The Times of Israel.
  34. (3 May 2022). "Fünf zusätzliche Airlines starten ab Hannover".
  35. (24 March 2025). "FlyErbil NS25 Network Additions". AeroRoutes.
  36. (2 November 2023). "Iraqi Airways Resumes Dusseldorf Service from Nov 2023". AeroRoutes.
  37. "Timetable".
  38. "Çukurova’dan Erbil’e Direkt Uçuşlar Başlıyor!".
  39. "Booking".
  40. (23 February 2021). "SunExpress Announces 2021 Summer Program".
  41. [https://rj-cargo.com/rj-destinations.html rj-cargo.com - Destinations] retrieved 27 January 2021
  42. "Turkish Airlines cargo 2015 winter schedule".
  43. "Statistics".
  44. (7 July 2021). "Attack on Erbil airport in Iraq reported".
  45. Bechocha, Julian. "Explosive-laden drones strike US base near Erbil airport".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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