The Ministry of Transport issued a clarification regarding the airport management consultancy agreement with the International Finance Corporation, while expressing its condemnation and denial of what is being circulated in some media outlets .
The Ministry of Transport stated in a statement that it “expresses its condemnation and denial of what is being circulated in some media outlets that the government is moving towards contracting with external parties that Iraqi law prohibits dealing with, in order to manage Iraqi airports,” considering that “these political outbidding do not serve the interests of Iraq and Iraqis, but rather merely target the work and achievements of the government and the ministry .”
The statement added that “campaigns of confusion, accusations and media misinformation against its projects usually become active with every announcement of a specific achievement in its service or strategic projects in railways, ports, air and land transport,” noting that “the ministry is proceeding with the completion of strategic projects , especially the development road and the Grand Faw Port projects, of which we have completed the first five docks. These two projects will change the global transport map and create economic integration for the countries of the region and the world .”
The statement continued, “What was raised about the controversy over the advisory agreement signed by the Civil Aviation Authority with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) , during the past year (2023), before entrusting the management of airports to the Ministry of Transport (the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation Management) .”
The ministry pointed out that “the ministerial program of the National Service Government headed by Mr. Al-Sudani includes rehabilitating Iraqi airports, raising their efficiency, and developing their facilities and safety factors, to improve their services, in line with international airport standards in the world. Therefore, the consulting services agreement signed by the Civil Aviation Authority based on the decision of the Council of Ministers included submitting a comprehensive and integrated study to rehabilitate and develop Baghdad International Airport by preparing an investment booklet, aiming to rehabilitate and develop the airport’s infrastructure, by finding a partner from the private sector, to benefit from the investment opportunity in the airport, on the basis of a partnership between the public and private sectors .”
The statement pointed out that, “Following the agreement, the IFC presented an investment brochure, which includes three proposals: the first, rehabilitating the current airport. The second, building a new airport. The third, included merging the first and second options, which is what the government went towards, indicating that the International Finance Corporation – which has long experience in the field of airport rehabilitation, and which supervised the development and expansion of the most important airports in Saudi Arabia and Turkey – confirmed to the Iraqi government that it will provide assistance in selecting the best international companies to implement the project, while stressing that the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation Management is a key partner in the process of rehabilitating the airport’s infrastructure .”
The ministry noted that “the technical and economic feasibility of rehabilitating the airport aims to increase the airport’s capacity to receive passengers, and therefore the ministry categorically rejects and denies the allegations that talk about transferring 50 percent of the employees of the Airports and Air Navigation Administration to the rest of the formations, and other allegations that attempt to confuse matters .”
The statement stressed that “the agreement does not go beyond the process of rehabilitating the airport and its facilities, and that Iraqi airspace is managed by the cadres of the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation Management .”
The statement continued: “The rehabilitation and development operations of the airport will provide new job opportunities for Iraqis, and there will be an urgent need for all employee services in the Airports and Air Navigation Management Company, explaining that the consulting study included building a new passenger lounge to accommodate the expected increase in air traffic until 2036, so that the capacity at Baghdad International Airport becomes 8.5 to 9 million passengers annually .”
He explained that “Baghdad International Airport, which is the largest reception station in Iraq, consists of three halls, which are usually crowded with passengers who flock in large numbers, especially during religious visits. Its facilities have not witnessed any development or rehabilitation operations for four decades .”
The statement concluded that “next year will witness the completion of work on the projects of the holy Karbala, Nasiriyah and Mosul international airports, according to international specifications and standards, which will enhance air traffic in Iraq, provide suitable options for travelers, and open new windows for communication with countries of the world through these air corridors. They will also create appropriate integration in the transportation process with the development road project that passes through those governorates.”
