Construction of Iraq’s Nasiriyah International Airport has reached more than 65 percent completion and is expected to open by the end of 2025, the transport ministry said last week.

Spokesperson Maytham Al-Safi said the project had stood at just three percent when the ministry assumed oversight in February 2024, but progress has since accelerated. “Completion may reach 70 percent before the year ends,” he said, adding that the airport forms a strategic component of Iraq’s multi-modal Development Road project.

The airport is being built by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), under the supervision of the Turkish consortium of engineering consultant Kiklop Design and contractor Hertz İnşaat.

With a contract amount of $367 million , the project is designed for a capacity of 750,000 passengers per year. The new airport is expected to become the new aviation hub of southwestern Iraq, boosting the development of local traffic, the economy, and the investment environment, said a press release from Sany Group, a leading enterprise of high-end equipment manufacturing.

Covering a site of 16 million square metres, the project includes a 3,400-metre runway, an 185,000-sqm apron, and an 18,000-sqm passenger terminal. Other infrastructure includes a VIP terminal, a cargo terminal, a 42-metre-high control tower, support buildings, and a 100-key four-star hotel.2-metre-high control tower, and support buildings, and a 100-key four-star hotel.

In mid-August, a statement issued by Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani's office quoted him as saying that in addition to Baghdad, there are investment opportunities for the private sector in Najaf, Basra, Nasiriyah, and Mosul airports, noting that Iraq has adopted successful regional models for airport management and operations.

In July 2025, the Ministry of Transport launched the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Baghdad Airport project, with final submissions due in September 2025. Ten consortiums were shortlisted from an initial pool of 14 applicants, according to the ministry.

(Writing by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon and Sona Nambiar)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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