ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mosul, the capital of Iraq’s northern Nineveh province and once the declared capital of the Islamic State’s (ISIS) so-called caliphate, marked a major milestone in reconstruction efforts on Thursday as an aircraft successfully completed the first test landing at Mosul International Airport in over a decade.
Nineveh Governor Abdulqadir al-Dakhil, who was on board the test flight, described the moment as “historic” and “long awaited by the people of the province.”
Speaking to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA), Dakhil underlined that “the preparations for the inauguration of Mosul International Airport have been complete.”
In comments to INA, Dakhil confirmed that “preparations for the inauguration of Mosul International Airport have been completed,” adding that the facility’s navigational systems have been fully modernized. “A cargo section has been added, and the runway has been extended and equipped with advanced night lighting systems,” he noted.
“The airport will officially open soon.”
Originally established in 1920, Mosul International Airport spans approximately 1,600 dunams. Its recent reconstruction began in August 2022, when then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi laid the cornerstone of the project.
The total cost of the rehabilitation project is estimated at 200 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $142.8 million), with half of the funding drawn from previously frozen provincial funds dating back to the war with ISIS.
Speaking to Rudaw, Ahmed Dubardani, a member of the Nineveh Provincial Council, confirmed that following Thursday’s test flight, the airport will begin “experimental operations” on June 10.
“Once fully operational, the airport is expected to become a major international gateway and to handle up to 550,000 passengers annually,” according to Al-Dobardani.
Mosul fell to ISIS in June 2014 during the group’s rapid territorial expansion across Iraq and Syria. The city became the epicenter of ISIS’s self-declared caliphate, with the airport among the many critical infrastructures rendered inoperable.
During its occupation, ISIS enforced a brutal and extremist interpretation of Sharia law, committing widespread human rights abuses, targeting religious and ethnic minorities, and destroying historical and cultural landmarks.
A large-scale operation to retake Mosul was launched in October 2016, led by Iraqi forces with vital support from the US-led Global Coalition. Kurdish Peshmerga forces also played a crucial role in the battle, securing key eastern and northern fronts, clearing surrounding areas, and severing ISIS supply lines into the city.
Mosul International Airport was recaptured in February 2017, and the city was officially declared liberated in July of that year.
