# Baghdad International Airport / New Al Muthana Air Base (BGW)

> Baghdad, IQ · IATA: BGW · ICAO: ORBI · Large Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `BGW` |
| ICAO | `ORBI` |
| City | Baghdad |
| Country | IQ |
| Type | Large Airport |
| Elevation | 35 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| GPS | 33.26250, 44.23460 |

## Description

Twenty years ago the road from this airport into the city – nicknamed "Route Irish" – was among the most dangerous stretches of tarmac on earth; today Baghdad International (BGW/ORBI) is once again Iraq's busiest gateway, handling around 8 million passengers a year. Its freight operation sits in a separate, well-secured cargo zone one to two kilometres from the passenger terminals, with its own access road and ongoing expansion of storage capacity. Cargo capability is real: a weekly Boeing 777 freighter from Doha resumed in May 2025, and Qatar Airways Cargo alone offers more than 115 tonnes of weekly belly capacity, alongside Emirates SkyCargo, Royal Jordanian, Turkish Cargo and Iraqi Airways. Integrators DHL and FedEx serve the market through local agents. Clearance is thorough rather than quick – customs work side by side with the Economic Police, intelligence and national security services inside the cargo complex. Iraq has almost no usable rail freight, so onward distribution is road-based, with the southern port of Umm Qasr near Basra handling any sea-air combinations. The field also doubles as the New Al Muthana Air Base, a reminder of its layered military past.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/baghdad-international-airport-new-al-muthana-air-base-airport-bgw](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/baghdad-international-airport-new-al-muthana-air-base-airport-bgw)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/baghdad-international-airport-new-al-muthana-air-base-airport-bgw](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/baghdad-international-airport-new-al-muthana-air-base-airport-bgw)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/baghdad-international-airport-new-al-muthana-air-base-airport-bgw/llm-summary*