Friday, August 03, 2007
KRG invests $350 mn. in extension of Erbil Airport
Kurdistan
(Kurdish Globe) - Director General of the Erbil International Airport, Tahir Horami, explained in an interview with The Kurdish Globe that credit for the idea of establishing the modern airport must be given to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, who knew it would open up the Kurdistan Region to the rest of the world.
"This airbase needed to be drastically changed from a base that historically had been a site of destruction and disaster brought upon the Kurds, to a civil service establishment," Horami said. Now, nearly 30,000 people travel to and from Kurdistan monthly via the airport, which has also positively influenced business in the region. Immediately after it opened, construction and investment increased tremendously.
"Kurdistan was a closed zone before. Because of the neighbor's policy toward the region, some people, especially investors, were not ready to incur difficulties in order to do business in Kurdistan," he said. Due to the relative safety of Kurdistan, particularly the firm security measures taken at the airport, many other people around Iraq choose to travel via Erbil International Airport. Travelers sometimes get annoyed when passing through the check points, though. "We assure those people that the measures are for their own safety; we ask them to be more patient."
The airport, which accommodates travel to and from Baghdad, neighboring countries, and a number of European countries, is receiving more passengers than it expected to. They are building a new, longer runway and a bigger terminal building with modern standards, Horami said. The KRG has dedicated $350 million(USD) to the airport, most of it to be spent on a new project designed by the Scott Wilson group (a British company) and executed by Macul (a Turkish company).
The new landing strip currently under construction will be one of the biggest in the world, 4.8 kilometers long and 90 meters wide. Horami announced that the project would be finished at the end of 2007 and will then be able to accommodate the world's biggest planes, such as a Boeing 777 or an Airbus A380. The project's terminal will be wide enough to receive 3 million passengers annually.
"This airbase needed to be drastically changed from a base that historically had been a site of destruction and disaster brought upon the Kurds, to a civil service establishment," Horami said. Now, nearly 30,000 people travel to and from Kurdistan monthly via the airport, which has also positively influenced business in the region. Immediately after it opened, construction and investment increased tremendously.
"Kurdistan was a closed zone before. Because of the neighbor's policy toward the region, some people, especially investors, were not ready to incur difficulties in order to do business in Kurdistan," he said. Due to the relative safety of Kurdistan, particularly the firm security measures taken at the airport, many other people around Iraq choose to travel via Erbil International Airport. Travelers sometimes get annoyed when passing through the check points, though. "We assure those people that the measures are for their own safety; we ask them to be more patient."
The airport, which accommodates travel to and from Baghdad, neighboring countries, and a number of European countries, is receiving more passengers than it expected to. They are building a new, longer runway and a bigger terminal building with modern standards, Horami said. The KRG has dedicated $350 million(USD) to the airport, most of it to be spent on a new project designed by the Scott Wilson group (a British company) and executed by Macul (a Turkish company).
The new landing strip currently under construction will be one of the biggest in the world, 4.8 kilometers long and 90 meters wide. Horami announced that the project would be finished at the end of 2007 and will then be able to accommodate the world's biggest planes, such as a Boeing 777 or an Airbus A380. The project's terminal will be wide enough to receive 3 million passengers annually.
Labels: Erbil International Airport, KRG, Macul, Scott Wilson group, Tahir Horami
