Sudani visited the airport on December 22 to oversee its construction and ordered the relevant authorities to open the international airport on June 10 with the aim of “sending a message of defiance against terrorism.”
Mohammed Kakayi, head of the Security Committee of the Nineveh Provincial Council, told Rudaw on Tuesday that Sudani will attend the inauguration of the giant project.
“The opening of this airport will be marked by a flight from Baghdad to Mosul, with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani aboard,” said Kakayi.
On August 10, 2022, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, then Prime Minister of Iraq, laid the foundation stone for the renovation and preparation of Mosul International Airport, which was decided to be renovated and prepared in the 2021 budget bill and is being implemented by two French and Saudi companies.
The budget for this project is 200 billion dinars, half of which comes from Nineveh province's previously blocked funds during the ISIS war, and the other half is provided from the budget of the Food Security and Development Support Act.
Construction of Mosul airport began in 1920 and covers an area of 1,600 dunams.
Kakayi also said that on the same day a five-star hotel will be opened in Mosul.
The infrastructure of Mosul was severely damaged during the ISIS conflict in 2014 and the subsequent years. Although efforts have been made to rebuild the city, its infrastructure still requires years of work and substantial financial investment to fully restore.
“Mosul International Airport is one of the most significant airports in Iraq, following Baghdad and Basra airports. It was systematically destroyed by terrorism, with damage reaching 100%. The project faced numerous technical and administrative challenges, which were overcome through direct support from the Prime Minister,” Sudani’s office said in December.
