Ahvaz International Airport
The airport was officially renamed Qasem Soleimani International Airport on 3 January 2020, although Ahvaz International Airport remains in common use. Its IATA code is AWZ and its ICAO code is OIAW.
Strategic and market-access role
Ahvaz International Airport is the main air-access asset for Khuzestan’s provincial capital and has a different function from Abadan’s airport because it serves the administrative, oilfield-service, agricultural, and industrial center of the province. In the Hormuz Graph, it links Tehran and other domestic business flows to Ahvaz’s role as a management base for oil, gas, petrochemicals, steel-related activity, public administration, and inland logistics. The asset is important for moving decision-makers, engineers, consultants, and service teams into southwest Iran’s core industrial geography. Supports passenger access to Ahvaz and wider Khuzestan through domestic flights and reported regional international links.
Operations, capacity & connectivity
Related use cases
Useful for planning due-diligence trips, mapping business travel access to Khuzestan, evaluating service coverage for oil-and-gas field operations, and comparing Ahvaz with Abadan or coastal access points. Investors and analysts can use it when assessing provincial opportunity pipelines, partner meetings, technical-team deployment, logistics coordination, and operational risk around Ahvaz-centered industrial and energy corridors.
Capacity and service area
Capacity: 2017 traffic: 2,939,958 passengers, 24,449 aircraft movements and 26,312 tons of cargo. These are historical figures and should not be treated as current capacity. Service area: Ahvaz and Khuzestan Province, Iran. Available 2023 information describes domestic hub operations and regional international destinations including Dubai, Kuwait City, Muscat and Istanbul.
Ownership, operation & expansion
Owner and operator
Owner: Government of Iran Operator: Iran Airports Company (شرکت فرودگاهها و ناوبری هوایی ایران)
Constraints, risk & compliance
Operational constraints
A cited source reports that relocation has been proposed because of an oil-field discovery beneath the current runway. The source does not specify the discovery date or the reference date for its stated 10-year delivery horizon.
Key risks and compliance considerations
The reported relocation proposal creates uncertainty around long-term site continuity and timing; the available evidence does not establish a confirmed implementation schedule.
Connected Intelligence
Relevant geography, industry, market and execution context for this profile.
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers to the questions most likely to arise when reviewing this profile.
Is Ahvaz International Airport the same as Qasem Soleimani International Airport?
Yes. The airport was officially renamed Qasem Soleimani International Airport on 3 January 2020, while Ahvaz International Airport remains a commonly used name.
What are the airport codes for Qasem Soleimani International Airport?
The IATA code is AWZ and the ICAO code is OIAW.
Who operates Qasem Soleimani International Airport?
Available evidence identifies Iran Airports Company as the operator.
Is the airport expected to relocate?
A cited source reports a proposed relocation linked to an oil-field discovery beneath the current runway. The supplied evidence does not confirm the project schedule, approval status or delivery date.