Baghdad, Iraq- Iraq’s Ministry of Transport has reaffirmed its commitment to meeting International Air Transport Association (IATA) requirements as part of ongoing efforts to lift the European airspace ban on Iraqi Airways.
The national carrier is actively working towards obtaining the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification by 2025. This certification is a crucial step in securing the Third Country Operator (TCO) certificate, which will enable Iraqi Airways to resume flights in European airspace. The Ministry emphasized its strict adherence to the required timelines in coordination with IATA, focusing on key aviation standards.
These include fleet standardization and reactivation of grounded aircraft, enhancing aviation crews and diversifying service providers, implementing aircraft performance monitoring systems, upgrading quality assurance processes to meet compliance requirements, modernizing operational manuals and introducing the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) system, and adopting global aircraft maintenance and planning systems, with agreements signed for ground handling and cargo services.
Additionally, the Ministry noted that some requirements extend beyond Iraqi Airways, involving the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA). During a recent meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani and Transport Minister Razzaq Muhaibis Al-Saadawi, IATA Vice President Kamil Al-Awadhi confirmed that Iraq has completed 56% of the corrective action plan required for lifting the EU ban.
The statement highlighted that while past efforts to remove the ban saw little progress, Iraqi Airways is now making tangible advancements in close coordination with IATA’s technical team.
