Chinese company to renovate Nasiriyah International Airport

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A Chinese company will renovate Nasiriyah’s international airport within the next two years, state media has reported.

Iraqi and Chinese officials signed an agreement on Tuesday to renovate the airport, with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also present.

Dhi Qar governor Ahmed al-Khafaji told state media that the project will provide more than 3,000 jobs.

"The airport will revive tourism, especially religious tourism, to receive pilgrims to the house of the Prophet Ibrahim and the ancient city of Ur... in addition to organizing tourist trips to the marshes of Dhi Qar," Khafaji said.

The spokesperson for the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, Haider Majid, said that agreement is an “essential step” in advancing economic development in the province, which has seen numerous protests since October 2019.

In 2017, part of Nasiriyah’s Imam Ali military airbase was converted into an airport, but it remains largely underdeveloped.