The airport was built in the 1980s and then developed in the 1980s by the Iraqi Government department State Organisation for Roads and Bridges as a gateway to the only port in Iraq. This second phase of development was completed by a joint venture comprising Strabag Bau AG of Cologne, Billfinger & Berger of Manheim both in Germany and Universale of Austria in Spring 1988. It is claimed that the airport was built only as a facility for VIPs and was only used rarely.
Renovation and military use
Renovation of the airport was supposed to proceed with the construction of a new terminal under German contract but the project prematurely ceased with the outbreak of the 1991 Gulf War. Actual development proceeded in the airport only after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Some facilities were refurbished under a contract by United States Agency for International Development. The project is broad as it includes building air traffic control towers and other navigational facilities, as well as the construction of transportation and communications facilities. The airport was eventually reopened in June 2004. The event was marked by the traditional sheepsacrifice as an Iraqi AirwaysBoeing 727 jet landed from Baghdad. It was the beginning of a new domestic service in Iraq between Baghdad and Basrah. However, many of the passengers complained about the lack of basic facilities. Problems included air conditioning and toilets. Reconstruction of the airport is still under way to improve the facilities. Iraqi Airways has already operated routes from this airport, and was its second hub. Between 2003 and 2009 there was a significant Royal Air Force presence at the airport as No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing was deployed here with a variety of fixed-wing and rotary such as: Fixed-wing
Following the American control and since 2002, SkyLink Arabia has been providing ground operations and fuel supply at the airport. In 2014 Group holding services with its subsidiary Basra ground handling services company with the partnership of Iraq airways took over the ground handling operations at the airport. During 2010 access to the airport was strictly controlled by checkpoints situated at the main Airport entrance. Navigating this was done strictly on the production of a flight reference number for outward travel. The US Government, accommodated at the adjacent US Consulate, required dedicated transfer services from the Consulate to the Airport terminal. A newly established company, Personal Transition Services, was contracted by several of the USG elements to perform this service. The company started by providing services directly to and from the Airport, but quickly grew into a company that provide full life support services further to the south close to the Iraq/Kuwait border at Safwan. PTS became the first International company to have a desk inside the main Airport terminal, from where the locally employed staff were able to provide both English and Iraqi speaking services.
