Najaf Airport receives operating certification from Iraqi aviation authority

NAJAF — Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday granted an operating certification to Najaf Airport after it met technical and regulatory requirements in line with international aviation standards, officials said.

The certification was issued during a ceremony attended by Najaf Governor Youssef Kanawi and Civil Aviation Authority President Bangen Rekani, who said Najaf Airport became the first airport to receive an operating certification since the current administration took office, following multiple inspection rounds conducted at airports across Iraq to assess compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization standards.

“From the time we assumed authority until now, we have neither licensed an airport nor revoked an airport’s license,” Rekani said. He added that the authority conducted “three inspection rounds for each airport” and identified numerous issues that needed to be addressed before certification could be granted under International Civil Aviation Organization standards.

An airport operating certification is the Civil Aviation Authority’s formal approval that an airport meets required safety, operational and infrastructure standards and can conduct commercial air traffic. Airports must pass inspections and address regulatory observations to obtain and maintain certification. Without it, an airport may face operational restrictions or be unable to legally conduct certain commercial aviation activities until deficiencies are corrected.

Rekani said some airports have yet to meet the required conditions, but praised Najaf governorate and the airport’s management for working closely with the authority to resolve all outstanding observations. “Today, thank God, we will sign the certification for Najaf Airport,” he said, describing the achievement as “a great accomplishment for the governorate.”

Kanawi called the certification a “historic event” for both the airport and the governorate. “We received the airport with 76 major and minor observations,” Kanawi said. “We worked day and night, with your follow-up and insistence on overcoming all the observations.”