Iraq Reduces Airspace for Coalition Forces

Iraq's Ministry of Transport announced on Tuesday that an agreement to reduce the airspace allocated for military flights by the international coalition in Iraq has come into effect. The agreement, according to an official statement, aims to facilitate the rehabilitation of Baghdad's international airport and increase the airspace available for civilian aviation in Iraq. CEO of the state-owned aviation company Abbas Baydani said in the statement, "This comes within the framework of rehabilitating Baghdad International Airport and increasing the area of Iraqi airspace allocated for civil aviation." Baydani added, "As a result, there will be more space for civilian air traffic and more companies will be able to use the airspace." Baydani explained that the agreement was reached "through the efforts of the Air Traffic Management Department and joint cooperation between all air traffic control units, after several meetings and communications with the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) of the Coalition Forces ." Source: Qatar News Agency