Baghdad International Airport BGW / ORBI

Iraq's largest and busiest airport, run by the state Iraqi Airports Management Directorate. A 25-year, ~764M USD PPP concession was awarded Nov 2025 to a Corporación América Airports-Amwaj International consortium, but Iraq's government cancelled that award in Jun 2026 - before financial close - citing irregularities identified in the tendering and contract process; no re-tender has been confirmed as of (Sep 2026), so any claim that CAAP/Amwaj now operates or is preparing to operate the airport is outdated. On passengers: the often-repeated 'approximately 8 million passengers annually' figure (seen on several third-party airport-directory and transfer-booking sites) is not backed by any official series found here - the last confirmed full-year totals are 2.92M (2022, ICAA/COSIT) and roughly 3.4M (2023, per the Prime Minister's office); 2025 is re-estimated here at roughly 4.8M by extending that recovery trend, pending an ICAA release - treat as an estimate. Baghdad FIR (ORBB) and Iraqi airspace were closed to traffic from 28 Feb 2026 (joint US-Israel strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation) through a Jun 2026 ceasefire, with the airport complex itself hit by drone activity on 6 Mar 2026 during the closure; as of (Sep 2026) EASA's active Iraq CZIB still advises EASA operators against operating in the Baghdad FIR at any altitude, citing recurring Iran-linked strikes and militant drone/MANPADS risk - even though a Jul 2026 ceasefire breakdown around the Strait of Hormuz did not re-close Iraqi overflight. Iraqi-flag capacity remains constrained: Fly Baghdad only regained US sanctions eligibility after its counter-terrorism SDN delisting on 5 Aug 2026 (its CEO remains separately sanctioned over alleged IRGC ties), and overall capacity is likely still below pre-2026 levels. No ILS category is confirmed in available public sources for either runway; verify current NOTAMs and the ICAA AIP before flight planning.