US lifts ban on air services to Iraq

The ban on air services between the US and Iraq has been lifted for the first time in nearly 13 years.

After economic sanctions were imposed on Iraq in 1990, the US Transportation Department prohibited air carriers from selling commercial flights in the US that included a stop in Iraq. Iraqi-registered aircraft were also banned from flying to or from the US.

“This is a necessary step, albeit intermediate, in the process of re-establishing commercial air service to Iraq,” Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said in a statement yesterday.

“We are working closely with Ambassador (Paul) Bremer in order to help Iraq to quickly reopen a safe and secure aviation link with the rest of the world.”

Mr Bremer is the top US official overseeing the reconstruction of Iraq.

The management of Iraq’s national carrier, Iraqi Airways, said this week that it was planning to resume operations.

A UN committee announced on Wednesday that restrictions on flights to Iraq had formally ended following the Security Council’s decision last week to lift sanctions.

Any air carrier wanting to restore air services to or from Iraq must first obtain approval from US federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration, said Bill Mosley, US Transportation Department spokesman.