Iraqi prime minister Ali Al-Zaidi has ordered the cancellation of a major railway and airport project as part of a government anti-corruption campaign launched last month.
The Baghdad International Airport project was subject to corruption allegations, the state-run Iraq News Agency reported, quoting an unidentified government source.
The previous government approved the railway plan, which was to serve as the backbone of the $17 billion Development Road project launched in May 2023, Asharq Business reported.
The 1,200km railway and parallel motorway were to link Iraq’s Grand Faw Port in the oil-rich south to the Turkish border, where a connection to Europe would occur via Turkey’s rail network.
In September 2025 Oman informed Iraq that it wanted to be part of a multibillion-dollar rail and road project alongside Turkey, Qatar and the UAE.
The airport project includes the construction of a new terminal with a capacity for up to 9 million passengers a year, with plans to expand to 15 million. It also includes rehabilitating runways, building offices for the civil aviation authority, a VIP hall and a car park, as well as developing the existing cargo building.
The contractor would invest around $764 million and would share revenues from a 25-year operation contract, the prime minister’s office had said.
In May Al-Zaidi ordered inquiries into several major government contracts as part of the government’s anti-corruption campaign, Shafaq News Agency reported.
He instructed oversight authorities and law enforcement agencies to review previously signed contracts by ministries and state institutions.
Credits: Baghdad International Airport
