Baghdad airport will remain closed until Monday at the earliest after a contract row between the Iraqi government and the company which provides security continued..
Hundreds of passengers were left stranded after the airport was closed to civilian flights on Saturday because of "unresolved commercial issues" between the transport ministry and Global Strategies Group.
Talks between the two sides are ongoing, with transport minister Salam al-Maliki hopeful that a deal can be done which will see the airport re-open on Monday or Tuesday.
However, he accused the company of demanding a new contract and hiking their demands.
He said: "There are ongoing negotiations between the company and the ministry.
"The company demanded a new contract with the ministry and demanded high amounts as a condition to their return."Global Strategies Group, who took over security at the airport in June 2004, said it would resume security operations at the airport when a satisfactory agreement had been reached.
It added that passenger traffic had mushroomed from two to three flights per week to more than 50 per day.
The London based firm has around 500 staff working at Baghdad airport.
Their roles include guarding the site and providing security for check-in and baggage handling.
At the moment there are only military flights operating out of the former Saddam Hussein International Airport.
