Business is booming at Sulaimaniyah International Airport, with more than 2,000 flights since the beginning of 2010.

From January 2010 to the end of August, there were 2,381 flights to and from the airport, Dana Mohammad the media director of the airport, told AKnews.

A total of 107,581 passengers have flown through the airport during this period. Of this figure, 55,060 were inbound passengers, including 40,962 foreigners, according to Mohammed.

On average there were 10 flights daily through the airport in the first eight months of 2010.

In Nov. 2003, the current prime minister of Kurdistan, Barham Salih [Barham Saleh], laid the foundation stone of Sulaimaniyah International Airport and two years later in July 2005 the airport was inaugurated.

(Source: AKnews)

Iraqi Airways is planning to initiate its new service between Basra and Mash’had [Mashhad] in eastern Iran, according to a Transportation Ministry statement on Tuesday, quoted by Aswat al Iraq.

“The Transport Minister, Amer Abdul-Jabbar, has instructed Iraqi Airways to initiate a route between southern Iraq’s Basra and Iran’s Mash’had from September 9, 2010, with two flights per week, according to a request by Basra’s Governor, Shiltagh Aboud Al-Mayah.”

The statement also said that the minister will appoint 20 workers to carry luggage and clean Basra International Airport, and will set up a committee to improve service at the airport.

(Source: Aswat al-Iraq)

The general manager of Najaf International Airport said on Monday that automatic booking machines are being installed at the airport to allow bookings through the internet.

Sadiq al-Laban told AKnews, “The automatic booking system is modern and sophisticated. It would facilitate and confirm bookings through the Iraqi Airways website, and through the official website of Najaf International Airport.”

Laban said the airport authorities will train staff on the maintenance of the automatic booking machines.

“The airport gives visas directly to foreign passengers on Iraqi Airways. An agreement has been made with Gulf Airlines to facilitate the arrival of visitors to Iraq, particularly pilgrims, and to give them visas immediately upon arrival,” said Laban.

(Source: AKnews)

The technical assistant of head of Dhi Qar provincial council, Abdul Hussein Hajar, revealed that the Defense Ministry approved the allocation of part of Al Imam Ali air base to build a civil airport, subject to the approval of the Transport Ministry.

The airport construction requires further legal and technical investigations in order to be implemented.

The airport construction committee of the Transport Ministry has visited the air base twice already and has run though all technical inspections to make sure the airport is suitable for civil use.

(Source: Al SumariaTV)

A group of Italian firms will provide advisory services to the project of the al-Faw Big Port [Grand Faw] in Basra province, southern Iraq, according to a contract with the Iraqi Transportation Ministry.

The ministry reported the event in a statement on Sunday as received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency, explaining that the project will be executed in stages.

“The project will be finalized by 2028,” the press release said.

It noted that firms will execute the project at a total investment cost of four billion Euros.

IBN believes that the lead contractor on the project is Technital.

(Source: Aswat al-Iraq)

We launch our new Jobs in Iraq page today on the IBN web site in response to reader demand. This is a free reciprocal service for Recruitment Agencies and Employers with jobs on offer in Iraq. For readers it provides a welcome source of employment options in a country crying out for skilled labour and competent management.

Oil & Gas, Construction & Engineering, Public works, Agriculture , Education, Communications, and Transportation are all sectors where skilled people are needed.

If you have vacancies in Iraq contact Antony Wakeham on www.iraq-businessnews.com or email antony.wakeham@iraq-businessnews.com. The service is free on a reciprocal link basis.

The Iranian car manufacturer IKCO plans to expand its overseas sales in the Middle East, while boosting exports to Iraq has already increased the company’s market share in that country by 30 percent.

Models such as the Samand, Peugeot 405, 206 and Roa are the most popular for export to Iraq, mainly as police cars and taxies. Currently, IKCO runs 18 dealers and distributors in the cities of Erbil, Duhok, Sulaymaniyah and Basra and the company intends to increase this to 29.

Iraq is one of IKCO’s biggest overseas markets. In 2009, IKCO exported about twenty thousand cars to Iraq, and they expect to reach 31,000 in 2010.

Related articles:

• Audi Volkswagen Signs Dealer for Iraq
• Scania to Increase Truck Dealerships in Iraq As Demand Grows

Audi Volkswagen Middle East has expanded its dealer network in the region by announcing National Automotive Trading Co, a Moin Behbahani Group company, as the official dealer for the Audi and Volkswagen brands in Iraq.

Construction of the Audi and Volkswagen showrooms and service facilities, located in Erbil/Kurdistan, are currently underway and are scheduled to open in September 2010. Further expansion plans will include fully fledged Audi and Volkswagen facilities in Erbil and Baghdad. The Audi terminals and Volkswagen showrooms as well as the service facilities will be built according to state-of-the-art corporate design and will offer the full range of services to ensure customer satisfaction.

Ahmed Shariefi has been appointed as Country Manager for National Automotive Trading Co. On the occasion of the contract signing Moin Behbahani, owner of National Automotive Trading Co, stated, “Iraq is a market with enormous potential. We are proud to represent the prestigious brands of Audi and Volkswagen and we are confident of a successful future in Iraq.”

In preparation to the opening of the showrooms and service facilities, extensive training programs for sales and after sales service teams have started to ensure international standards in the operations of both brands.

Related articles:

• 120 Companies to Invest in Iraqi Ports
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Bahrain-headquartered Sabre Travel Network Middle East (STNME), the world’s leading provider of high performance travel solutions, is expanding its presence in the Middle East by partnering with Kanoo Travel to become the first Global Distribution System (GDS) operating within Iraq.

Kanoo Travel, presently the largest travel agency group within the Middle East and one of Sabre’s most loyal and trusted partners in the region, will distribute Sabre’s travel technology solutions in Iraq through a General Sales Agent (GSA) structure. The new partnership will give agencies in Iraq access to all of Sabre’s solutions including global content from hundreds of airlines, thousands of hotels, as well as car rental companies, tour operators and cruise liners.

Speaking at the signing ceremony Daniel Naoumovitch, Chief Executive Officer, Sabre Travel Network Middle East said, “We are extremely excited about this new venture and the opportunity to provide Iraqi agencies with new technology capabilities, such as our recently-launched Sabre Red travel solution, to help them drive customer loyalty and power business performance.

“Iraq is experiencing significant growth daily and establishing a presence in this market reinforces our commitment to support the travel industry by providing agencies there with solutions and the expertise to expand their business, and travel suppliers with additional distribution opportunities,” said Naoumovitch.

Mr. Mubarak Kanoo, Deputy Group Chairman, Kanoo Travel said, “Kanoo Travel and Sabre Travel Network Middle East have had a longstanding partnership based on mutual trust and progressive business focus. This is yet another feather in our caps reinforcing the long term partnership as well as reflecting our commitment to growth and development of new regions within the Middle East.”

Kanoo Travel has over 180 IATA locations in the region and provides the most comprehensive and specialized services in the travel industry, placing special emphasis on servicing and managing relationships with its large customer base in the region for which it has won numerous service-quality Awards in both the leisure and business travel sectors.

Travel agencies across the Middle East region use Sabre’s technology solutions to help make money, save money and optimize the service they provide travelers. With 20 offices in 11 countries across the Middle East and the Levant, Bahrain-based STNME is the leading GDS provider in the world.

The director of Iraqi Ports announced on Monday that 120 companies would participate in the development of Iraq’s ports, indicating that most of the berths will be offered on the basis of joint operation contracts between Ministry of Transport and global companies.

It’s expected that 120 companies, including Mazda, Siemens, Volkswagen and Audi, will invest in the Iraqi ports,” the Director of Iraqi Ports, Salah Kadaier, told AKnews.

Joint operating contracts have helped increase profits more than three-fold in recent years, Kadaier added.

As we reported last week, the Iraqi Ports company has signed a seven-year, $120m, joint operation contract with German company Marlog.

French company C&G, and Gulftainer from the UAE, have also begun work on ports berths in Basra (550 km south of Baghdad).

(Source: AKnews)

Related articles:

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The third stage of the development of Maytham al-Tamar Street in central Karbala was started on Thursday, according to the province’s reconstruction & strategic planning committee.

“The project’s third stage, which is launched at a total cost of 20.304 billion Iraqi dinars [$17m], is expected to ease the traffic congestion at the entrance of city, particularly during pilgrimages,” said Abbas Nasser Hassani in statements to Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The street, funded from the Provincial Development Budget (PDB), would link the city of Karbala to the road leading to Najaf,” said Hassani.

He pointed out that the project envisages the building and paving of a road and the implementation of water and sewerage networks, lighting, sidewalks and pedestrian islands.

“The first and second stages of the project have been completed at a cost of more than eight billion Iraqi dinars [$7m], starting from the city’s northern entrance to the project’s third stage near the Old Cemetery, 1 kilometer from the heart of the city,” the source added.

(Source: Aswat al-Iraq)

Related articles:

• Water Resources, Land Reclamation Project in Karbala
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The State Company for Iraqi Ports signed an agreement on Thursday with German company Marlog to operate Dock 8 at Khour al-Zubeir [Khor al-Zubair].

The agreement includes the right to operate the dock for seven years.

Incorporated in 1974 as a limited company in Düsseldorf, Germany, Marlog-LBG Logistics became a member of the IQ-Martrade Group in 1991.

Related articles:

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Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reports that permission has been granted for a $250 million [300 billion Iraqi dinars] investment to build a business village near Baghdad international airport, provided that it is completed within 5 years. The agency quotes the ‘Iraqi Babylon Investment Authority’, which we believe to be the Baghdad Investment Commission.

Chairman of the commission, Shaker Al-Zameli, said in a statement to the press that they, “granted this investment permission in order to create a business area that attracts commmercial and services investment near Baghdad international airport,” adding that the town would also be a place where commodities could be stored and transferred within and outside Iraq.

A free duty zone would also be set up in the area, from which travelers and Iraqis can benefit, noted Zameli, affirming that the area would boost the Iraqi economy and create more jobs for Iraqis.

(Source: KUNA)

Related articles:

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Sharjah-based port operator Gulftainer has announced that it has opened berth 8 at Umm Qasr port in Iraq, according to a report from MEED.

In September, the firm expects to introduce two mobile harbour cranes designed to handle all forms of cargo, that will ensure high efficiency at the berth.

In February, the firm won the concession to operate berth 8 and has since been renovating it.

Gulftainer later won the concession to operate two more berths at the port. It will take over the completion of berths 10 and 11 as they are currently only half complete. Once the berths are finished, Gulftainer will order gantry cranes with the aim of starting operations one year later.

As we previously reported, Gulftainer’s Momentum Logistics unit has opened a branch in the northern city of Zakho. The company also sponsors Basra’s Al Mina’a Football Club.

Gulftainer was established in 1976 in the Emirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates.

(Sources: MEED, Gulftainer)

Upper Quartile view:

Gavin Jones, of Upper Quartile, commented: Excellent to see Gulftainer in here – they first came in to see the lie of the land almost 2 years ago with Upper Quartile on a trade mission in 2008; now 18 months later they are there and investing, wonderful! Umm Qasr will be pivitol in the development of Basra – the French are in there, Middle East companies investing away …… even the Italians; Where are the Brits?

Related articles:

• Momentum Logistics Open’s Offices and Storage Facilities in Iraq
• Investment in New Container Port at Umm Qasr
• French Shipping Major Revamps Iraqi Port Facilities