Erbil Air Base
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| Also known as | Erbil International Airport; Arbil; ORER (ICAO); Erbil Diplomatic Support Center (later name for a U.S. facility at the airport) |
|---|---|
| Location | Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Erbil Governorate |
| Type | Airport and former Iraqi military airfield; coalition hub in the Kurdistan Region |
| Category | U.S. installation in Iraq |
| Opened | Early 1970s as an Iraqi military base; new civil airport opened 2005 |
| Closed or transferred | No U.S. handover date found in sources read; South Korea's Zaytun Division handed its Erbil mission to U.S. troops in December 2008 |
| Coordinates | 36.23750, 43.96306 (36°14′15.0″N 43°57′47.0″E) |
Overview
Erbil International Airport serves the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region. The Ba'athist government built the original airfield in the early 1970s as an Iraqi military base, and it was used militarily until 1991, when a UN-backed no-fly zone was imposed over northern Iraq. After the 2003 invasion, the Kurdistan Regional Government took over administration of the region.
The airport received the ICAO code ORER on 26 May 2005, and a new US$550 million airport opened next to the old military field on 5 July 2005. Its 4,800-meter runway is one of the longest in the world. The old airport had a 2,800-meter runway with an instrument landing system.
During the Iraq War, Erbil was the base of South Korea's Zaytun Division from September 2004 to December 2008, the third-largest foreign military contingent in Iraq through 2005. The division focused on medical care and on building roads, power lines and schools. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited the Korean troops in Erbil in October 2004, and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun made a surprise visit that December. The Koreans handed their mission over to U.S. troops in December 2008.
In 2010, U.S. Army leaders of the 3rd Infantry Division's Task Force Marne held a memorial at Camp Zaytun in Erbil for two Peshmerga killed while stopping a car bomb at a combined checkpoint. The sources read for this entry do not detail U.S. units based at the airfield itself between 2003 and 2011; the airport later hosted a significant U.S.-led coalition presence in the campaign against the Islamic State.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Early 1970s | Iraqi military airfield built at Erbil. |
| 1991 | Military use ended after the northern no-fly zone was established. |
| 2003 | The Kurdistan Regional Government took over administration of the region after the invasion. |
| Sep 2004 | South Korea's Zaytun Division deployed about 2,800 troops to Erbil, rising to 3,600 by November. |
| Oct-Dec 2004 | Donald Rumsfeld visited the Korean troops on 10 October; President Roh Moo-hyun visited on 8 December. |
| Jul 2005 | A new US$550 million airport with a 4,800-meter runway opened on 5 July. |
| 2006-07 | The Korean contingent was reduced by 1,300 troops in 2006 and 1,200 more in 2007. |
| Dec 2008 | The Zaytun Division held its farewell ceremony on 1 December and handed its mission to U.S. troops. |
| Jul 2010 | Task Force Marne honored two fallen Peshmerga at Camp Zaytun, Erbil, on 18 July. |
Units stationed at Erbil Air Base
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from Erbil Air Base. This list is not complete; units rotated frequently and many smaller elements were never reported. Veterans can add their unit on the message board below.
| # | Unit | When | Role at the base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zaytun Division (Republic of Korea Army) | September 2004 - December 2008 | Humanitarian, medical, peacekeeping and reconstruction mission in the Erbil area | link |
| 2 | 11th and 12th Reconstruction Brigades (Zaytun Division) | 2004-2008 | Reconstruction battalions of the Korean contingent | link |
| 3 | 320th Medical Assistance Unit 'Jerma' (ROK Army) | Relocated to Erbil 2004 | Medical assistance; moved north from southern Iraq to join the Zaytun Division | link |
| 4 | 1100th Construction Engineer Unit 'Seoheui' (ROK Army) | Relocated to Erbil 2004 | Construction engineers; moved north from southern Iraq to join the Zaytun Division | link |
| 5 | ROK Army Special Warfare Command (two battalions), ROK Army commando battalion and a ROK Marine Corps company | 2004-2008 | Security elements of the Zaytun Division | link |
| 6 | 3rd Infantry Division (Task Force Marne) | 2010 | Division leadership held a memorial for fallen Peshmerga at Camp Zaytun, Erbil | link |
| 7 | 2nd Battalion, 12th Brigade, Peshmerga | 2010 | Kurdish unit whose soldiers were killed stopping a car bomb at a combined checkpoint on 10 May 2010 | link |
Notable events and facts
- The new Erbil airport's 4,800-meter runway is among the longest in the world.
- Through 2005, South Korea's Zaytun Division in Erbil was the third-largest foreign military deployment in Iraq.
- The Zaytun Division suffered one fatality, an officer who died by suicide on the Korean base in May 2007.
- In 2010 Erbil International Airport had the least expensive aviation fuel in Iraq, at 83 U.S. cents per liter.
- From 2021 the military section of the airport, housing U.S.-led forces, was repeatedly targeted by drones and rockets.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at Erbil Air Base
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Message board: Erbil Air Base
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Sources
- Erbil International Airport - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erbil_International_Airport
- Zaytun Division - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaytun_Division
- Wikimedia Commons: Fallen Peshmerga warriors honored during memorial service (DVIDS). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fallen_Peshmerga_warriors_honored_during_memorial_
- Wikimedia Commons: Southkoreansoldiersiraq.jpg. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southkoreansoldiersiraq.jpg