ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mosul International Airport is expected to resume flights within the next two months, the airport director announced on Thursday, just weeks after its official reopening following an 11-year closure due to its capture by the Islamic State (ISIS).
Ammar Khader told Rudaw that final preparations are underway to obtain an operational license from the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA).
“We have an integrated program for the preparation, landing, and takeoff of aircraft, and for receiving passengers,” Khader said, adding that the airport’s communication and fire-fighting systems must first be inspected by a “reputable international company” before flights can commence.
He noted that the remaining legal and administrative procedures are being fast-tracked to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s mid-July directive to open the airport within two months.
Sudani officially inaugurated Mosul International Airport on July 16, coinciding with the anniversary of the city’s liberation from the Islamic State (ISIS). Earlier in June, an aircraft successfully completed the first test landing at the airport in over a decade.
Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province in northern Iraq, was seized by ISIS in June 2014 during the group’s rapid expansion across Iraq and Syria. It was declared the capital of ISIS’s so-called caliphate.
The battle to retake the city began in October 2016, led by Iraqi forces with support from the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Kurdish Peshmerga forces played a key role in securing the city’s eastern and northern flanks, cutting off supply routes, and clearing surrounding areas.
Mosul International Airport was retaken in February 2017, and the city was officially declared liberated on July 10 of the same year. However, the airport sustained extensive damage during the conflict. Reconstruction began in August 2022 with a budget of around 200 billion Iraqi dinars (around $142.8 million).
According to Khader, several international firms - including British, Emirati, Omani, and Turkish companies - have submitted proposals to operate the airport. A special committee, formed under the prime minister’s directive, will review the bids and assess their operational plans.
The newly rebuilt airport features a main terminal hall, VIP lounge, modern radar systems, and a 3,000-meter runway. It is expected to handle up to 630,000 passengers and 30,000 tons of cargo annually, making it a key driver of Nineveh’s post-war economic recovery.
