Desk Report,
Iraq’s Mosul airport reopens after 11 years
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani inaugurated the rebuilt airport in the northern city of Mosul on Wednesday. The airport was almost completely destroyed by a series of attacks by the Islamic State group (IS) nearly 11 years ago.
Prime Minister al-Sudani’s media office said in a statement that the airport will serve as a new link between Mosul and other Iraqi cities and regional destinations.
Iraq’s Mosul airport reopens after 11 years
The official inauguration of Mosul airport was held on Wednesday with the landing of a plane carrying al-Sudani. Authorities expect the airport to be fully ready for domestic and international flights within the next two months. The foundation stone for the airport’s reconstruction was laid by then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi nearly three years ago.
The airport’s director, Amar al-Bayati, told AFP that the airport is now ready to handle domestic and international flights. He said that for several years, the airport has been operating international flights to Türkiye and Jordan.
In June 2014, the Islamic State (ISIL) captured Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. The extremists declared their self-proclaimed “caliphate” from there. After seizing the city, they seized control of vast swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria, imposing a harsh regime on millions of people. Thousands were displaced. Countless lives were lost.
The new Mosul airport will be a milestone in the city’s long struggle to recover.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani inaugurated the rebuilt airport in the northern city of Mosul on Wednesday. The airport was almost completely destroyed by a series of attacks by the Islamic State group (IS) nearly 11 years ago.
Prime Minister al-Sudani’s media office said in a statement that the airport will serve as a new link between Mosul and other Iraqi cities and regional destinations.
The official inauguration of Mosul airport was held on Wednesday with the landing of a plane carrying al-Sudani. Authorities expect the airport to be fully ready for domestic and international flights within the next two months. The foundation stone for the airport’s reconstruction was laid by then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi nearly three years ago.
The airport’s director, Amar al-Bayati, told AFP that the airport is now ready to handle domestic and international flights. He said that for several years, the airport has been operating international flights to Türkiye and Jordan.
In June 2014, the Islamic State (ISIL) captured Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. The extremists declared their self-proclaimed “caliphate” from there. After seizing the city, they seized control of vast swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria, imposing a harsh regime on millions of people. Thousands were displaced. Countless lives were lost.
The new Mosul airport will be a milestone in the city’s long struggle to recover.
