Azmar Air glides through Iraq Airport Show as platinum sponsor
The growing aviation hub in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, Erbil International Airport will be the Gold Sponsor for the two day event attended by authorities and industry leaders.
Almasalla- Arab Travel Portal News – Dubai- Azmar Airlines and Erbil International Airport confirmed their participation at the Iraq Airports Show as the Platinum and Gold sponsor respectively. The event organised by Babylon International FZE in association with Sulaimaniyah Airport as host.
Iraq plans to construct a new central airport and is continuing a fleet expansion as the country seeks to revive its travel industry and lure tourists. The government will unveil a list of contractors at the earliest to bid for construction of the airport in Karbala south of Baghdad. At a cost of US$2.5 billion, the new hub would be the country’s biggest, with capacity of 20 million passengers a year. Besides new airports are also coming in Duhouk, Mosul, while existing terminals are undergoing refurbishment in Baghdad ,Basra and Najaf and terminal expansion will soon start in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah
“We are glad to support this prestigious event in Sulaimaniyah. Kurdistan is the destination for anyone who wants to work in, or come to Iraq for business or tourism,” explains Baker Saeed Taufiq, General Director of Azmar Air.
The company has found a niche in the Iraqi aviation market with only five years of operations and is looking to develop further. Azmar Air, the only Kurdish aviation company that operates in Iraq, has gained an interesting market position thanks to the region’s unique role as a gateway to Iraq.
“Erbil International Airport continued to grow in 2014 as new milestones for passenger, cargo and aircraft movements were set. We will be having a terminal expansion shortly,” said Talar Faiq Director General of Erbil International Airport. “We are duty bound to participate in an airport show happening in the Kurdistan region and will use the opportunity to scout for new suppliers. The Iraq airport show has grown exponentially and it’s good to meet with peers and make fresh contacts,” she added.
An international jury at the Emerging Markets Airport Show in Dubai has voted Erbil International Airport the best airport amongst emerging market airports with less than five million passengers per annum, across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. “We are grateful to our airline partners who have seen the potential Erbil and Kurdistan has to offer and we look forward to welcome more airlines in due course as demand for air travel grows and the dynamic Kurdish economy expands,” Faiq said.
Ram Muthaiah, General Manager of Babylon International FZE, the organisers of the event said, “The presence of airports and government representatives from within Iraq and the region along with suppliers of repute makes the event a must attend, as Iraqi aviation sector is experiencing a boom. Through the Iraq Airports Show we will be connecting major players in the industry to an emerging and lucrative aviation market.”
