Iraq axes Mosul Airport leases over alleged armed group links

Iraq is seeking to replace three commercial operators at Mosul International Airport with international companies after Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi ordered the cancellation of their leases over alleged connections to armed groups.

The November 7 decision affects agreements covering seven passenger check-in counters, an airport car park and a taxi office. The contracts were held by Sky Plus, Sama Al-Matar and Al-Faisal Al-Shamikh, respectively. Iraqi authorities have not identified the armed groups allegedly connected to the companies or published evidence supporting the claims.

According to contract documents obtained by Shafaq News, all three leases were signed by the Iraqi Airports Administration on behalf of the Transport Ministry. Each agreement covered an initial three-year period, with an option for renewal.

Sky Plus, registered in the United Arab Emirates, leased seven check-in counters covering 42 square metres in the passenger terminal. Sama Al-Matar secured a lease for an uncovered parking area spanning 4,228 square metres, while Basra-based Al-Faisal Al-Shamikh was contracted to operate a four-square-metre taxi office in the arrivals hall.

The decision also follows a dispute over how the agreements were awarded. Nineveh Governor Abdul Qader al-Dakhil said the Transport Ministry and airport administration had concluded the contracts without consulting provincial authorities. He told local media that he had taken legal action against former Transport Minister Razzaq Muhaibis al-Saadawi and the airport administration over the agreements.

Alongside the cancellations, al-Zaidi instructed officials to accelerate plans for specialised international companies to participate in operating and jointly managing Mosul International Airport. The prime minister had previously invited foreign airport operators to invest in the facility during a visit to Mosul on October 12.

No replacement companies have been announced yet, and the government has not provided a timetable for transferring the three services or selecting an international airport management partner.

Mosul International Airport was heavily damaged after Islamic State militants seized the city in June 2014. Reconstruction began in August 2022, with the rebuilt facility officially inaugurated on July 16, 2025, by former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Commercial passenger operations returned later that year. On November 6, 2025, Iraqi Airways operated the first passenger flight between Mosul and Baghdad after an 11-year interruption. The reconstructed airport features a 3,000-metre runway and terminal infrastructure designed to accommodate up to 630,000 passengers annually.

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