Iraq's Transport Ministry said it has returned restricted airspace in the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits that had been in place for military operations since 2016.
All previously reserved zones, mainly in western parts of the country, have been handed over to the authority responsible for airports and air navigation for use by civil aviation, the ministry said on Friday.
The restricted areas had been designated for military operations against ISIS in 2016 and 2017, when large parts of Iraq's western desert were used as bases for action carried out with international coalition forces.
"It has been officially confirmed by the airspace management team at the air operations centre that the military air zones listed in the Iraqi aeronautical guide are no longer being used for military operations," Ehab Saad Karim, director of the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation Management, told a media conference.
The move is expected to give Iraqi aviation authorities more room to redesign flight routes, ease restrictions on the movement of aircraft and improve the efficiency of airspace use. Ongoing security concerns over the past decade have made it difficult for the entirety of Iraqi airspace to be used.
“Iraq's strategic location will boost opportunities for global airlines to utilise its airspace," he said.
The country's national carrier, Iraqi Airways, has been barred by the EU since 2015 owing to security and safety concerns.
Mr Karim said the move to fully reopen airspace followed years of technical and institutional work aimed at improving the efficiency and flow of air traffic. Reopening the routes will boost revenue, improve the flow of civilian air traffic and support the national economy, he added.
The decision comes before the September 30 deadline for the US-led international coalition to complete its withdrawal from Iraq. Mr Karim said the complete reopening of the airspace was part of measures and arrangements in place for the departure of foreign troops.
