The Iraqi Minister of Transport, Hadi Al-Amiri, selected Lufthansa Consulting to evaluate the ground handling requirements at Baghdad International Airport, the capital’s main airport and the country's main international gateway as well as at the international airports Basra and Mosul.

After two wars and many years of disruption, which have caused considerable damage to the airports’ facilities, Iraq’s aviation system is now going through a phase of reconstruction, and the situation at the airports is also returning to normal. Regular air services are slowly being resumed, and plans are underway to renovate and expand the airports. The Ministry of Transport, the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA), and the national carrier Iraqi Airways have a strong interest in establishing ground handling operations at the three airports that meet international standards in preparation for the increase in traffic flows and the airlines’ requirements – ranging from aircraft handling to the processing of passengers and their baggage.

This challenging project started at the end of August and is currently still in progress. In Phase One of the project, Lufthansa Consulting is developing an action plan. An experienced team of experts conducted intensive assessments of the local airport facilities at Baghdad, Basra and Mosul by inspecting the relevant processes and procedures, as well as performed numerous interviews with all stakeholders related to ground operations. The consultants will offer recommendations for improvements in all the relevant fields of ground handling operations.

 In Phase Two, Lufthansa Consulting will be responsible for managing the tender procedure and for tendering the ground handling licenses for the three airports to international ground handling companies. The findings of the operations assessments in Phase One will form part of the tender documentation, and will have a bearing on the expected service levels and investments.

 The overall project aim is to ensure the airports’ operational readiness by 2012 at the latest, so they can offer best in class services and competitive pricing schemes to attract new clients in the future.

Source: Press Release (Lufthansa Consulting)