Mosul Airport resumes flights to Baghdad after eight-year shutdown
Shafaq News – Nineveh (Updated on Nov. 07 at 10:38)
The first flight from Mosul International Airport to Baghdad took off on Thursday, marking the airport’s official reopening eight years after it was destroyed in the war against ISIS.
Nineveh Governor Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil told Shafaq News that
work is underway to finalize agreements with international companies to operate
foreign flights soon.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Imad Ahmed, the acting head of the General
Company for Air Navigation Services, said air traffic control teams supervised
all stages of the flight from departure to landing—in compliance with
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards, a United
Nations agency responsible for aviation safety, air navigation standards, and
accident investigations worldwide.
Last month, the Turkish company IGA, operator of Istanbul Airport, has submitted the top bid to manage Mosul International Airport, surpassing proposals from Omani and Emirati firms.
The reopening of Mosul International Airport comes as part of Iraq’s broader plan to modernize its aviation sector, with three major airports—Al-Nasiriyah, Mosul, and Karbala—set to open by 2025 under a national strategy linking new airports to the Development Road project. The Ministry of Transport also aims to expand Iraq’s air fleet with 31 new aircraft by 2027, enhancing connectivity, trade, and tourism across the country.
Read more: Iraq’s airport expansion: New fleets and infrastructure to boost economy
