The U.S. Air Force has transferred the management of airspace covering the Iraqi capital to national authorities, U.S. officials said on Thursday. Iraqi authorities are now responsible for all domestic airspace.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said the U.S. Air Force transferred the management of the Baghdad/Balad Airspace sector to the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) on October 1. “Iraq’s air traffic controllers are now directing the movement of all aircraft within the area, the busiest and most complex airspace in Iraq,” the Embassy said in a statement.
With the transfer of the Baghdad/Balad Airspace sector, Iraqi authorities have assumed full air traffic control responsibility for the country’s airspace for the first time since 2003, when a U.S.-led invasion led to the ouster of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
American and British civilian trainers have prepared the ICAA air traffic controllers in Baghdad and at Iraq’s five other international airports since the opening of the Baghdad Area Control Center in August 2007.
“Many international commercial airlines have already re-established service to Iraq,” the U.S. Embassy said. “Although much work remains to be done in order to improve Iraq’s aviation support and communications infrastructure systems, the ICAA has taken a significant step forward in providing an essential service to the people of Iraq, contributing to the security and stability of the nation, and facilitating trade and travel for a more prosperous future.”
Less than 50,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, nearly nine years since the U.S.-led war began on March 20, 2003. According to a security agreement between Baghdad and Washington, all U.S. forces will be withdrawn by the end of 2011.
