Basra International Airport is the second largest airport in Iraq, servicing a growing number of international and domestic passengers.
It was originally built in the 1980s by foreign commercial partners working in tandem with the Iraqi government in order to better facilitate access to Basra - Iraq's only port and an area of great religious and historical importance as many scholars believe that Basra was once the site of the biblical Garden of Eden.
The airport was originally used by a small number of VIPs and business people, but has seen a steady increase in passenger traffic particularly over the last ten years.
Facilities at Basra International Airport are soon to be upgraded, with plans to improve the airport and upgrade air conditioning and toilet facilities already underway.