The foundation stone of Karbala International Airport was laid by Shaikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbala'i, a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali as-Sistani, and Chief Cleric of Imam Husayn Holy Shrine, in January 2017. It is being constructed by the United Kingdom's Copperchase Ltd.,[1][2][4] and designed by the French ADBI Company. At 4.5 km (2.8 miles), the airport's runway is the longest of its kind in Iraq.