Baghdad International Airport to Feature a New Business Center

Obscured by much of the strife and violence in parts of Iraq, an economy of 26 million with vast human and natural resources continues to operate and grow. Areas of the north are enjoying a construction boom …packaging and bottling are two sectors attracting particular investor interest, and progress on a national hydrocarbons law has oil, gas and power firms looking for alliances with Iraqis and discussing future ways of doing business together. Clearly the time for the early birds to study the market and position themselves for quieter times is now.

But a break on even routine business exploration has been the absence of secure, convenient quarters for foreign and, even, Iraqi business people to meet with suppliers or prospective partners and Iraqi officials who are shaping the infrastructure and economy. These days most encounters occur in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Turkey, Kuwait or the UAE, or further a field at trade shows in Europe, the U.S. or Asia. While Baghdad is served by international scheduled and charter aircraft, a secure, well-equipped meeting place has been out of reach to many business travelers. Upon arrival at “BIAP,” as the Baghdad Airport is known, most visitors are required to line up expensive private security details to bring them to the International Zone for meetings, often held at the Al Rasheed Hotel.

Early in the New Year all that will change, courtesy of the Baghdad Business Center, a newly renovated, secured facility located just a several hundred meters from the international arrival terminal, on the commercial side of the airport grounds. The building was originally a VIP terminal and the Multinational Corps Iraq is putting the final touches on a thorough renovation of the structure. The Center boasts Internet and phone connections, catering space, a large boardroom, and a smaller executive conference room, all on a single level. The management of the facility will be handled by the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry beginning in early 2007.

Foreign business travelers will be able to catch a flight into Baghdad that arrives before noon, conduct meetings in a safe and convenient setting, and fly out on the same day, all without leaving the airport precinct. Those that need to stay over, however, might consider one of the transit “hotels” (single- or double-occupancy trailers), such as that operated by SATCO/Elite Home Group, just beside the also newly renovated Iraqi Airways/Civil Aviation Building, itself just a half-kilometer from the Business Center.