ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq is nearing the completion of a new international airport in Nasiriyah, the capital of Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar province and key center of the 2019 October - Tishreen - anti-government protest movement. The move is part of broader efforts to revitalize the country’s civil aviation sector.
In a late Wednesday statement, Iraqi Transport Minister Razzaq al-Saadawi announced “significant progress” in the construction of the Nasiriyah International Airport, noting that 95 percent of the external structure of its buildings has been completed.
He further added that overall, the project has reached 85 percent completion and is expected to open by the end of this year. “The airport will enhance the infrastructure of Iraq’s air transport sector and serve the people of Dhi Qar province and its neighboring areas,” Saadawi said.
The construction of the airport in Nasiriyah is particularly notable given that the city emerged as the epicenter of the October 2019 Tishreen protest movement - a grassroots uprising led by young Iraqis frustrated by government corruption, high unemployment and poor public services.
While the protests began in Baghdad, they quickly spread to Iraq's central and southern provinces, including Dhi Qar. The Iraqi government then responded with a brutal crackdown - reportedly supported by Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups - that resulted in the deaths of around 600 protesters and injuries to thousands, according to a 2021 report by the International Crisis Group (ICG).
While protests in other cities waned amid the high casualty toll, Nasiriyah’s central Haboubi Square remained a focal point for activists. The city later became a breeding ground for new political groups, including the Imtidad Movement, the most prominent political alliance to come out of the Tishreen protests.
Moreover, the Nasiriyah International Airport project is part of Iraq’s wider push to modernize its civil aviation infrastructure, improve connectivity and boost economic growth.
In early August, Rudaw learned that Mosul International Airport is expected to resume flights in October following an 11-year closure after the city fell to the Islamic State (ISIS). The airport is expected to have an annual capacity of 630,000 passengers and 30,000 tons of cargo.
Meanwhile, Baghdad International Airport is also undergoing a major overhaul.
In September 2023, the Iraqi Transport Ministry signed a consultancy agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - a member of the World Bank Group - for a public-private partnership to develop and manage Baghdad International Airport.
The project, valued between $400 and $600 million, includes the construction of a new terminal with an initial capacity of 9 million passengers annually, expandable to 15 million in future phases.
Iraq currently operates eight airports, including two in the Kurdistan Region.