Oman to oversee launch of Iraq’s Karbala International Airport 

Oman Airports has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Iraq’s Teebat Karbala Company to oversee the preparation and launch of Karbala International Airport — a key aviation project set to transform Iraq’s air transport sector.

The agreement was formalised on Saturday by Oman’s Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, Saeed bin Hamood Al Mawali, who also chairs Oman Airports, and Hassan Rashid Jawad Al Abayji, Chairman of Teebat Karbala Company.

Under the 15-month deal, a team of Omani experts in technical, operational, and administrative fields will be deployed to Karbala to manage the airport’s initial operations and train Iraqi staff to international standards. The move is part of broader Oman-Iraq cooperation to modernise Iraq’s civil aviation infrastructure.

“This agreement reflects a significant step in strengthening cooperation between Iraq and Oman,” said Abayji, who described the airport as one of Iraq’s most vital aviation projects.

Strategically located between the holy shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf, Karbala International Airport is designed to accommodate two million passengers annually in its first phase, expanding to six million in the second, and eventually 20 million upon full completion. The project is seen as crucial to easing travel for millions of pilgrims and boosting Iraq’s transport capacity.

Oman Airports, which operates six airports across the Sultanate, brings considerable technical and administrative experience to the project. Its involvement reflects Muscat’s growing efforts to deepen regional cooperation and support Iraq’s broader push to rebuild its civil aviation infrastructure after decades of conflict and underinvestment.

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