Iraq is planning to engage the private sector in redeveloping Basra International airport, the country’s second-largest, to cope with an increase in passenger traffic.

Dubai’s Emirates and Flydubai, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Royal Jordanian, and Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines, in addition to Iraqi Airways, operate flights to Basra International.

“They are in the early stages of drafting a plan,” a source familiar with the airport operations tells MEED.

It is likely the planning process, including the appointment of an adviser, will take time given the levels of approvals required in undertaking such schemes in Iraq.

Air traffic and cargo from some European countries often terminate in Kuwait and continue to Basra by land transport.

Dubai-based SKA (Skyline Arabia) Group provides Basra International with ground operation and fuel supply services.

Basra is Iraq’s southern gateway. The province has been at the centre of Iraq’s oil and gas industry since the discovery of the Rumaila oil field in 1953. It houses the headquarters of South Oil Company, which handles upstream exploration, production and transport in the south of the country.

Along with oil, Basra is home to petrochemicals and fertiliser plants that are owned and operated by State Company for Petrochemical Industries. As the only province with access to the Gulf, Basra hosts all six of Iraq’s ports, the largest being Umm Qasr, which has a deep-water quay with 22 berths. The other ports, including Al-Maakal and Abu Flus, all require significant investment to become operational or reach capacity.