US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD3994

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003994 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, ECON, IZ 
SUBJECT: REGIONAL AIRPORTS ON SCHEDULE TO ACHIEVE ICAO 
COMPLIANCE 
 
1.  (U) Summary:  Embassy, MNF-I, and GOI representatives 
visited airports in Mosul, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah from 
September 16 thru 18 to assess the progress in achieving 
compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization 
(ICAO) standards and recommended practices (SARPS).  While at 
different stages of completion, all three airports are on 
schedule in terms of construction and renovation work.  We 
suspect that one reason for the accelerated development pace 
of the Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports is that they are 
located in predominantly conflict-free Kurdish areas.  End 
summary. 
 
----------------- 
Background 
----------------- 
 
2  (U) Mosul, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah airports are undergoing 
construction and modifications in order to satisfy ICAO 
standards and recommended practices (SARPS).  Mosul airport 
has approximately $15 million of IRRF funds in construction 
projects, and MNF-I is transitioning control of the airport 
to Iraqi authorities.  The Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports 
are commercial, funded with regional money, and under Kurdish 
control. 
 
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Mosul 
---------- 
 
3.  (U) The target date for opening the Mosul airport is 
January 2006.  The civil passenger terminal was ready for 
operation one year ago; however, it did not open at the time 
because Iraqi security forces and procedures were not ready. 
During the course of the following year, the condition of the 
terminal deteriorated due to insufficient maintenance, 
vandalism, and poor quality of construction.  According to 
the Army Corps of Engineers (COE), it will cost approximately 
$400,000 to bring the terminal back up to acceptable 
operating condition, and this work could take one to two 
months to accomplish. 
 
4.  (U) There is a new $3 million, nine-story control tower 
being constructed and slated for completion in December of 
this year.  On-the-job training for Iraqi air-traffic 
controllers will start in January 2006.  According to COE, 
the quality of construction so far is good, and work is 
progressing according to schedule.  The major unknown for 
tower construction at this point is who will handle the 
hook-up of the electrical power grid; the Ministry of 
Electricity (MoE) is responsible for coordinating this work, 
and MNF-I agreed to follow-up with the ministry. 
 
5.  (U) The airport has a 9,000 ft runway, which gives it the 
capability to handle most passenger airplanes currently in 
production.  (Iraqi Airways aircraft are from the Boeing 
family -- models 727, 737, and 767 -- and have passenger 
capacities ranging from 150 to 250.)  One shortcoming of the 
airport is that it does not have a parallel taxiway; 
airplanes would have to taxi back on the runway, holding up 
other aircraft from landing. 
 
6.  (U) Mosul airport will only serve as a domestic airport. 
This is due to constraints imposed by surrounding residential 
areas.  International aircraft require clearance areas around 
the airport that cannot be met by Mosul's layout.  There are 
plans to build a new regional international airport 30 km 
southwest of the existing airport that could service 
international flights. 
 
7.  (SBU) The group also met with an official of US Civil 
Military Operations, which is responsible for transitioning 
the airport from military to civilian control.  The official 
stated that little has been done in private-sector 
transportation development, mainly due to the current 
run-down condition of the airport. 
 
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Erbil 
----------- 
 
8.  (U) Mr. Zaid M. Zwain, General Director of Erbil 
International Airport (EIA), told us that EIA is currently 
handling 30-45 domestic passenger flights per week.  Mr. Zaid 
predicts that a new airport that is under construction nearby 
could handle 10 million passengers annually by 2010.  EIA is 
able to service international charter flights, and Mr. Zaid 
said that they have been in discussions to get a direct 
flight arranged between Frankfurt and Erbil.  (Note:  The 
first of these charter flights landed this week, confirming 
Mr. Zaid's statement.)  The control tower at EIA is not up to 
ICAO standards; one glaring problem is the lack of 
unobstructed 360-degree visibility. 
 
----------------------- 
Sulaymaniyah 
----------------------- 
 
9.  (U) Sulaymaniyah airport (ORSU) construction was 
completed in July 2005 at a price of $40 million plus, all of 
which the local government provided.  ORSU currently handles 
two domestic Iraqi Airways flights per week, both originating 
in Amman and flying through Baghdad enroute to ORSU.  There 
are currently no cargo flights.  According to one airport 
official, the airport could handle up to 20 flights per day, 
and discussions are under way to add flights from Istanbul 
and Dubai (all flying through Baghdad).  These flights could 
begin as soon as next week according to airport officials. 
ORSU would also like to service international flights 
directly.  In order to do so, airport officials need to 
request certifications for immigration and customs from the 
Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Finance, 
respectively.  We believe that customs and security 
infrastructure is in good condition.  DHS plans to send a TSA 
team to ORSU in late October to assist with any outstanding 
issues, such as CCTV installation. 
 
10.  (U) Officials stated that there are plans to build a 
second terminal in the future, once international flights are 
coming directly to ORSU in large numbers.  The second 
terminal would be larger than the first and dedicated to 
international flights, while the current terminal would be 
dedicated to domestic flights.  In addition, according to one 
of the airport officials, there are plans to build a new 
highway interchange near the airport in order to facilitate 
smoother traffic flow.  Also, there are plans to build a 
five-star hotel on the road that leads directly into the 
airport compound. 
 
11.  (SBU) Comment:  We suspect that one reason for the 
accelerated development pace of the Kurdish airports is that 
Mosul, a predominantly Sunni area, has been the site of much 
fighting and counter-insurgency activity.  By comparison, 
Erbil and Sulaymaniyah are in predominantly conflict-free 
Kurdish areas.  End comment. 
 
 
Khalilzad