Baghdad International Airport

Baghdad International Airport also known as BIAP is now both a military and a civilian airport. It has a military terminal with a runway that is 8,800 feet long. This terminal, as you can imagine, is very busy with troops coming and going constantly.

There is also a larger civilian terminal with a 13,000 foot runway. The civilian portion is not as busy as it used to be but civilian traffic is picking up. Once the war is over and Iraq is safe to go to again, traffic will be heavy. Baghdad is a huge city.

BIAP is located west of Baghdad, about sixteen kilometers away. This airport used to be called Saddam International Airport, named, of course, after Saddam Hussein.

BIAP has been repaired and remodeled because it was heavily damaged at the start of the Iraq war. This is a large airport and can handle 7.5 million passengers each year.

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Right now, mostly military and United Nations flights use the Baghdad International Airport, with few civilian flights. There is a duty-free shop open there. I have used this airport numerous times in the four years I have been working in the Middle East.

Control of BIAP was returned from the Coalition, which was mostly the United States Military to the new government of Iraq on August 25, 2004. Our military bases still surround the airport at this point.

The coalition operates airport security. The Iraqi government has also contracted with a private security company, Global Security, to provide airport security as well.

There are several snackbars in the airport. I have eaten at them and have never had any problems. There are several duty-free stores as well.

One of the things I like about the airport is the chairs. They have high backs and are very comfortable to sit in and take a little nap.

The Iraqi security people there are going to do a good search before you leave. They are looking mainly to see if anyone is trying to take their money out of the country. I used to joke that they felt me up better than my wife does.

BIAP consists of 35 acres and has 40 service buildings in addition to the airport terminals.

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