CIVILIAN
pilots approaching Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) on June
1 expecting an Australian voice to provide air traffic control
were instead instructed by an Iraqi voice for the first time since
the beginning of coalition operations in Iraq.
At 10.06am the Head of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority gave
the first clearance provided by Iraqi controllers in more than
a year - “Alpha Sierra One One cleared to land.”
Amid the smell of fresh paint in their recently refurbished facility,
the 12 Iraqi air traffic controllers took control of civil air
operations at Baghdad, and heralded the new beginnings of Iraqi
civil aviation.
Wing Commander Sheryl Steele, the RAAF’s Senior Air Traffic Controller
at BIAP, said her colleagues looked forward to working with their
Iraqi counterparts.
“This is what we have been working toward since we got here and
it is a significant step in the rehabilitation and reconstruction
of Iraq,” WGCDR Steele said.
The Air Traffic Control Detachment will maintain overall control
of the air space around Baghdad as they work toward an eventual
complete hand over to the Iraqis.
Their deployment has been extended to at least September for this
work. Security issues and the air traffic control capabilities
of Iraqi personnel and equipment will dictate the ultimate transfer
of air traffic control at BIAP. A spokesman for the Iraqi controllers
expressed his joy at returning to work.
“We appreciate the help that we have received to date and are
looking forward to the day when we take control of our country’s
air space. While we need the Australians now, we are looking forward
to the future,” he said.
