According to the “Sputnik” correspondent in Iraq, based on Iraqi government data, the airport designed to accommodate large aircraft for passenger and cargo transport will be able to handle 630,000 passengers annually, and its air cargo capacity will reach about 30,000 tons annually.
Abdul Munim added: “Operations will be based on supply and demand, with the launch of Mosul and Basra in the next phase. We are also awaiting the necessary approvals to operate international flights, starting with the transit system (Baghdad – Mosul – Cairo/Beirut/Istanbul).”
Mohammed Youssef, a Mosul resident who attended the opening ceremony, expressed his great happiness, telling “Sputnik”: “Our joy at the airport’s return is indescribable, as the city has suffered greatly since it stopped in 2014, and today everyone feels that life is returning again.”
Civil activist Saqr Al-Zakaria told “Sputnik”: “This step represents the beginning of a new phase for the city, which continues to … What we witness today is not just the operation of an airport, but the restoration of part of Mosul’s identity. The issuance of the first travel document from the airport in nearly a decade symbolizes the return to normal life and a more stable future.”
Observers believe that “resuming flights to and from Mosul strengthens the city’s position as an important economic center in northern Iraq, following years of destruction and suffering.” Iraqi authorities regained control of Mosul International Airport in February 2017 after three years, while in 2022, former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi laid the foundation stone for its reconstruction.
