Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority issued a detailed technical statement on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, clarifying the regulatory and administrative bottlenecks delaying the official opening of Mosul International Airport.
Despite intense public anticipation and ongoing construction, aviation officials emphasized that the facility cannot clear security dockets until several foundational prerequisites are formally met.
The authority confirmed that its technical and specialized teams are conducting regular field visits to the site, working closely with the Nineveh local government and relevant ministries to bring the airport in line with both national regulations and international civil aviation benchmarks.
The primary hurdle delaying the airport’s launch is the ongoing failure to contract a specialized structural auditing consultant. This operational step is an absolute prerequisite under international aviation protocols to officially verify, log, and technically certify the safety and durability of the newly built infrastructure before any commercial traffic is permitted.
Compounding this structural delay is a persistent legal impasse regarding the definitive operator of the facility. The central government has yet to finalize whether the administrative management, daily operations, and commercial maintenance of Mosul International Airport will fall under the jurisdiction of the federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nineveh provincial government, or a third-party private operator. Until this managing entity is legally designated, the authority cannot clear or license the specialized aviation crews, ground staff, and air traffic controllers required to man the airport.
Technical gaps also remain regarding the airport’s physical flight paths. The installation, calibration, and mapping of terminal approach and departure tracks for arriving and departing aircraft are incomplete.
While the Nineveh Governorate has formally signed a technical contract with a specialized firm, RISK, to establish these flight corridors, the safety dockets have not yet been fully realized or certified for active air traffic management.
The Civil Aviation Authority detailed that it has launched exhaustive diplomatic and bureaucratic efforts over the past several months to secure temporary operational waivers, particularly to assist elderly passengers and pilgrims heading to the Hijaz for the Hajj season.
Official high-level correspondence was dispatched to regulatory counterparts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on January 22, 2026, and again on May 3, 2026, seeking technical exceptions that could allow targeted seasonal flights out of Mosul. However, these regional diplomatic channels ultimately concluded without securing the required international clearances.
Aviation officials concluded by stressing that all current verification procedures are strictly guided by effective Iraqi law and the binding framework of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The authority reiterated that under no circumstances will safety metrics or operational benchmarks be bypassed or compromised, as these regulations are directly linked to protecting the lives of passengers, flight crews, and the integrity of the country’s aviation infrastructure.
