Erbil International Airport Firokaxaney Nêwdewletî Hewlêr فڕۆکهخانهی نێودهوڵهتی ههولێر |
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Operator | KRG | ||||||||||
Serves | Erbil, Iraq | ||||||||||
Location | Ankawa | ||||||||||
Hub for | |||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 1,363 ft / 415 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 36°14′15″N 043°57′47″E / 36.23750°N 43.96306°ECoordinates: 36°14′15″N 043°57′47″E / 36.23750°N 43.96306°E | ||||||||||
Website | erbilairport.com | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Location in Iraq | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (2014) | |||||||||||
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Cargo | 33,527 |
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Total passengers | 1,565,998 |
Erbil International Airport (IATA: EBL, ICAO: ORER), is the main airport of the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
It is administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) under a committee consisting of the Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechervan Idris Barzani, and is one of two international airports (the other being Sulaymaniyah Airport) in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, with a third in Duhok being under construction. The new modern airport opened its doors in 2010. The airport has one of the longest runways in the world.
The airport was built 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 Kurdistan. After the 2003 Iraq War, 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 Kurdistan has increased since 2005 and the city of Erbil has been the recipient of foreign investments. Due to the growing need for safe access into the country, the Kurdistan Regional Government invested US$500 million in the construction of a modern airport.