Baghdad International Airport circa 2003 (Photo: Thomas Hartwell, USAID).

The Government of Iraq, acting through its General Company for Airports and Air Navigation Administration (GCAAN), has launched a tender for the rehabilitation, expansion, financing, operation, and maintenance of Baghdad International Airport under a public-private partnership model.

It is a two-stage public tender set to select a private partner to rehabilitate, expand, finance, operate, and maintain Baghdad International Airport under a long-term Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contract.

The tender opened on the 25 July, and applications will close 12 September at 12pm.

Interested parties have been invited to respond to the Government’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to be shortlisted for the tender, the next stage of which will be an RFP (Request for Proposals).

The tender documents note Baghdad International Airport is a strategic airport for Iraq, and as the main international gateway into the country and the country’s largest international airport, it currently provides services to over 3 million passengers in 2023.

The tender also noted the selected private partner will be expected to modernise and rehabilitate the airport infrastructure, expand passenger and cargo terminal facilities to meet traffic demand, and operate and maintain the airport in line with international best practice, including IATA and ICAO standards.

The International Financial Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is acting as the lead transaction advisor for this PPP project and supporting the Government of Iraq with the implementation of the tender.

The tender falls under the umbrella of Iraq’s vision for Sustainable Development 2030, which according to Iraq’s Ministry for Planning is “based on promoting sustainable development dimensions that empower Iraqis to live in a safe and unified country where all have equal rights.”

TRBusiness has reached out to the tender authorities for further information and will update this news article accordingly.

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