ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Domestic flights at Mosul International Airport are scheduled to resume “starting this week” after an 11-year hiatus, Nineveh Governor Abdulqadir al-Dakhil announced on Sunday.

The expected resumption of domestic flights comes after the airport’s official reopening in mid-July. The decision will only see the resumption of domestic flights until an operating company is chosen to carry out international flights, Dakhil told Iraq’s state al-Sabah newspaper. 

“The Civil Aviation Authority would temporarily manage operations to activate the airport and support it in serving the people of Nineveh. The contract is pending completion with the company operating international flights, which will contribute to enhancing international air traffic in the future,” Dakhil said.

The opening of the airport to domestic flights “will contribute to stimulating the local economy and revitalizing tourism in the city,” according to Dakhil.

During the airport’s inauguration in mid-July, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said that it would be fully operational within two months. 

“The airport's annual capacity will be approximately 630,000 passengers, and its annual cargo capacity will be about 30,000 tons,” according to the July statement from Sudani’s office.

The airport’s opening came 11 years after it was captured by the Islamic State (ISIS).

ISIS captured Mosul in 2014, declaring its so-called “caliphate” from the city, which is Iraq’s second-largest.

Three years later, Iraqi forces, aided by a US-led international coalition and the Kurdish Peshmerga, liberated the city after nearly ten months of intense fighting. 

During the jihadists’ rule, the airport, a key gateway connecting Iraqi airports, regional destinations, and global markets, was heavily damaged and almost completely destroyed. 

In August 2022, then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi laid the foundation stone for rebuilding the airport with an estimated cost of $140 million.