Baghdad West Aerodrome, which would later be known as Al-Muthanna Airport, was the first principal airport of Baghdad. The new airport was to be located 10 and a half miles southwest of the Al Muthanna Airport. A Romanian state enterprise, Technoexport, was involved in performing all the main contract work other than the radio installations and the electronics. The plans for the permanent terminal with 1 pier with 8 aircraft gates was cancelled and shelved, but the original illustrations of both the interim terminal and the terminal are archived. The illustrations were made in 1967. The building would have been a rectangular block with a huge canopy porch and large pyramid-shaped skylights. A distinctive crescent-shaped sculptural motif with square-patterned tiles on its underside was planned for the roof. Spence was interested in adapting ancient forms of Sumerian writing to achieve a texture on the walls of the airport. He wanted the interior to be largely of luxurious marble stone but by 1969 was concerned that due to spiralling costs this might have to be abandoned in favour of local materials. The airport handled 26 airlines in 1978 and was the main base of
Iraqi Airways, the IATA code was BGW and the ICAO code was ORBB. when the
United Nations imposed restrictions on Iraq after its
invasion of Kuwait. After the
Persian Gulf War, a
no-fly zone imposed on Iraq by the
United States and the
United Kingdom meant that
Iraqi Airways was only able to continue domestic flights for limited periods. Occasional international charter flights carrying medicine, aid workers, and government officials were allowed into Baghdad.
Royal Jordanian Airlines operated regular flights from
Amman to Baghdad. On August 17, 2000, the airport was officially opened to civilian flights. Minister of Transport Ahmad Murtada said that:
2003–2005 (U.S. occupation) (note the red and white icon for the long-defunct
East German airline
Interflug on the fourth row from the bottom, a legacy of
the invasion of Kuwait), in front of empty
check-in desks and passport control In 2003,
United States-led Coalition forces invaded Iraq. In early April, they moved into Baghdad, took control of the airport, and changed its name to the original name of the airport, Baghdad International Airport. The
ICAO code for the airport consequently changed from ORBS to ORBI. The
IATA code also changed from SDA to BGW, which had previously referred to all Baghdad airports, and before that to
Al Muthana Airport when Saddam Hussein was in power. In July 2003, the airport resumed civilian flights for the first time since 1991.
2012-Present Baghdad Airport Road, connecting the airport to the
Green Zone, once a dangerous route full of
IEDs, was refurbished in 2014 with palm trees, manicured lawns, and a fountain, with
Turkish assistance. Since the end of the war, the region surrounding the airport alongside the Airport Road, has emerged as an investment destination in Baghdad. On 1 May 2023, the Iraqi government under
Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani approved plans to enhance services with the intention of launching an expansion project in the development of Baghdad Airport in the second half of 2023. In 2024, the airport reached the final stage of its expansion plan, according to the
International Finance Corporation. On 6 March 2026, during the
2026 Iran war, a drone attack targeted the airport complex. During the
2026 Iran war the U.S. Baghdad Diplomatic Support Centre came under attack. On March 10 and 28, 2026, there were reports of drone strikes next to a guard tower and other areas on site. On April 9, 2026, drone strikes were reported near Baghdad International Airport and BDSC. ==Military use==