Iraq News Now

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Last June, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani pledged to takehigh-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 theInternational Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International AirTransport 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 in2015.