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Iraq reopens Mosul airport after 14 years

Iraq reopens Mosul airport after 14 years
(XFN-ASIA) - Iraq has reopened the airport in Mosul, 14 years after US forces declared the northern city a no-fly zone, the American military said. The inaugural flight from the airport on Sunday carried Hajj pilgrims to Baghdad for an onward connection to Saudi Arabia, a military statement said.

Iraqi Airways flight 020 to Baghdad took off on Sunday at 10.30 pm (1930 GMT) with 152 pilgrims on board, the statement said.

Mosul airport, converted from a military to a civil facility in 1992, had not seen commercial flights since the area was declared a no-fly zone by the US military in 1993 in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War.

The military said the airport was rebuilt with the intention of allowing a resumption of commercial air services to Saudi Arabia and other destinations.

"The Iraqi Airlines staff here performed wonderfully, overcoming operational obstacles in stride," said R.C. Shackelford, provincial programme manager in Nineveh, of which Mosul is the capital.

The rebuilding of the airport was funded by the US State Department and the Baghdad government.

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