Emirati, Omani and British firms enter bids to operate Iraqi airport destroyed by ISIS

Aviation bosses want Mosul airport to enter full commercial service later this year

Workers repair the runway at Mosul airport in 2023. Bosses aim to restore the aviation hub to full operation this year. AFP

Iraq's long-shuttered Mosul International Airport, rebuilt after it was devastated by ISIS, has drawn bids from foreign companies as it prepares to enter full commercial service this year.

Twelve firms have submitted proposals to run the airport's operations, Nineveh province governor Abdul Qader Al Dakhil said late on Tuesday after a meeting of the government committee in charge of reviewing the bids.

The committee has until the end of this week to establish precise criteria to evaluate the bids, he said. The results will then be submitted to the Cabinet for approval of the winning bid.

He didn’t identify the bidders.

However, an official with the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority told The National that the bids are from Turkish, British, Emirati and Omani companies. He only named Istanbul airport operator IGA, which “held several meetings with the local officials this year”.

The official expected the final decision on the matter to be reached by the end of this month.

ISIS overran large parts of Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014, declaring a caliphate that spanned areas of both countries. During that time, the extremists led a campaign of widespread and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Mosul and its surrounding areas were the crown jewel of the territories ISIS controlled in Iraq.

Mosul International Airport is expected to handle about 630,000 domestic and international passengers annually once it reopens. Photo: Iraqi News Agency

Three years later, Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led international coalition, reclaimed all ISIS-held territory across the country after gruelling fighting that left thousands dead and large areas in ruin, mainly in Mosul.

Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani inaugurated the airport in a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Mosul from ISIS. Commercial flights are expected to resume in October.

The airport has undergone extensive reconstruction, with its main terminal, VIP lounge and advanced radar surveillance system now in place. It is expected to handle about 630,000 domestic and international passengers annually, the official added.

Meanwhile, the ground services capacity is being arranged with Masil, a joint venture involving Menzies Aviation and Iraqi Airways. It will provide ground handling, cargo and fuelling under a 10-year licence once full operations begin, the official said. Masil has another licence at Baghdad International Airport.

The rehabilitation of Mosul airport marks a significant milestone in the long journey of recovery for the city and its residents. It is also part of broader efforts by Iraq to modernise its aviation sector.

The government has been working with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) on public-private partnership models for managing and developing Baghdad International Airport, an approach Iraq will probably pursue for other airports.

Iraq is now evaluating bids from six international consortiums for the rehabilitation, development and operations of the Baghdad airport. Mr Al Sudani met representatives from the companies last week in the presence of officials from IFC.

Other airports in the country include the Najaf International Airport that primarily serves pilgrims for Shiite shrines, Basra International Airport, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah International airports in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, and Kirkuk International Airport, which was opened in 2022. Two more are under construction outside the cities of Karbala and Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.