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Iraq will complete phase one of Karbala civilian Airport at the end of 2023 as it is pushing ahead with post-war rebuilding projects following a surge in oil prices, an Iraqi official was quoted on Tuesday as saying.
The Paris-based ADP group has designed the airport with a capacity of three million passengers, said Suha Al-Najjar, head of the National Investment Commission.
Najjar, quoted by Iraq’s Nahrain News agency, said phase 2 of the project would double capacity to six million passengers while Phases 3 and 4 would expand it to 12 million and 20 million respectively.
She said the project is managed by Iraq’s Manhal Al-Habboobi Consultancy Company and that it is part of the country’s plans to rebuild its infrastructure and services.
“We hope that phase one of this strategic project will be completed next year and it will be formally inaugurated at the end of 2023,” she added.
Najjar did not mention project costs but Iraqi officials said in 2018 it could cost nearly $3 billion, including about $1 billion for phase 1.
(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
