Majid Saidgul Babasheikh Barzanji is the CEO and founder of MATEEN Express, a leading air cargo and express services company in Iraq and the Middle East.

Born in Erbil, in the oil-rich Kurdistan region of Iraq, Majid is known for his strong business acumen, his entrepreneurial spirit, and his commitment to serving customers with honesty and integrity. He is also a strong advocate for the development of the aviation industry in the Middle East.

A well-established family man, Majid is also known as a great motivator at work and in the air transport and logistics industry.

In 2015, Majid was elected as an Executive Board Member of the National Association of Freight and Logistics. He served for four years as Chairman of the Airfreight Subcommittee. In 2019, he was re-elected to his post and was selected to Chair NAFL’s Courier & e-Commerce Subcommittee.

A graduate of BSc in Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering, Majid briefly worked in Iraq in the field of Power Generation Systems. He later moved to the UAE where he joined IBA Abu Dhabi, a leading MEP Consulting Engineering firm for about two years.

Seeing a substantial geopolitical shift in Iraq, Majid left his engineering career by mid-2001 to establish the family’s first company in Dubai, ushering the birth of MATEEN Express in the UAE, Iraq, and Kurdistan, simultaneously. The company later expanded its operations to China and Turkey, with a self-grown network of trusted partners across the world.

Under Majid’s leadership, MATEEN Express has grown to become one of the leading companies in the industry, with a network of offices in over 10 countries.

MATEEN is known for carrying out the first air transportation for commercial shipment to Baghdad Airport and the first commercial cargo flight landing at Erbil Airport in the Kurdistan Region.

Recognizing the significance of scheduled freighter service, MATEEN later developed charter flight operations into weekly schedules in early 2006, using AN-12, then IL-76, and both Soviet-era military transport aircraft.

Majid was also the first to operate scheduled western freighters commercially to Iraq, starting with DC8-63F, A300ERF, and eventually B747F, focusing on Erbil and Sulaimaniya. This led to the creation of a new mode of transportation to Iraq, shortening the trading cycle, and improving the supply chain by leaps and bounds.

In addition to his business activities, Majid is also actively involved in a number of philanthropic initiatives. He is a supporter of education and healthcare programs in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Majid continues to be an inspiration to entrepreneurs and business leaders in the region. He is a living example of what can be achieved through hard work, dedication, and a vision for the future.

MATEEN Express & Logistics Iraq

• 14 branches, stations and airport offices across Iraq
• 7 branches in UAE, China & Turkey
• Grew to 25 branches and over 400 staff in less than a decade
• Fleet of 44 truck trailers and 74 Toyota 4x4s serving the oil and gas industry in Iraq
• Over 30 vans & pick-up for cargo & courier operations across Iraq

Air Transportation to Iraq

• Serving air transportation to Iraq during times when other carriers cannot/do not cooperate
• Carriage of Radioactive Sources, Explosives, Out of Gauge, and Heavy Loads
• GSA, GSSA & CSA partnership with all major cargo airlines to Iraq & Kurdistan
• The only operator offering “Guaranteed Next Day Deliveries to Iraq”