Iraq takes progressive steps to lift European ban on national carrier

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced on Tuesday that it has made significant progress to lift the European ban on Iraqi Airways while also increasing the number of operational aircraft.

A statement from the ministry, received by Shafaq News Agency, confirmed that Iraqi Airways continues to work on meeting the requirements to lift the ban and implement the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations.

One of the key steps taken in this regard is "the signing of a consultancy and execution contract by the Director General of Iraqi Airways, Manaf Abdul Muneim, with IATA, represented by the association's Vice President for the Middle East and Africa, Kamil Al-Awadhi."

The statement added that the contract's terms would be executed within a month, followed by the signing of the second-phase contract, known as the Corrective Action Plan (CAP). "This phase is crucial for meeting the requirements to lift the European ban within specific time frames."

According to the Director General of Iraqi Airways, this step is aimed at "obtaining the International Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification and the Third Country Operator (TCO) certificate, which will enhance the company's safety performance and pave the way for the reinstatement of its IATA membership."

Additionally, this measure is expected to yield positive outcomes for the technical and commercial aspects of the national carrier.

The statement highlighted that the European ban on Iraqi Airways was due to observations recorded by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), along with issues noted regarding the Civil Aviation Authority.

In parallel with these efforts, Iraqi Airways is moving forward to "sign a joint contract with a reputable company to operate at least two aircraft under the 83bis system, which allows aircraft registered for commercial purposes to be operated by another air operator certificate holder."

Regarding the project to restore out-of-service aircraft, the ministry's statement indicated an increase in the number of aircraft returned to service, with 11 aircraft of various models reactivated, bringing the total operational fleet to 26.

"Efforts are ongoing to return four more aircraft by the end of this year. This will be followed by a new and scheduled plan by the technical department of Iraqi Airways to ensure the complete reactivation of all grounded aircraft, aiming to resolve this issue entirely by the next year." The statement concluded.

Last June, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani pledged to take high-level action to lift a European Union ban on Iraqi Airways, calling it a "priority file" for his government.

Al-Sudani said that the initial target is to meet the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) "as soon as possible."

The EU ban on Iraqi Airways has been in place since 1991 due to "safety concerns." It was briefly lifted in 2009 but reimposed in 2015.