Iraqi Policy Paper Calls for Advisory Board to Drive Civil Aviation Reform

ANBAR, Iraq — A policy assessment published in Baghdad is calling on Iraq's Ministry of Transport to establish a specialized advisory board to address long-standing challenges in the country's civil aviation sector. The paper notes that civil aviation represents a sensitive sector requiring compliance with international security and quality standards. It argues that the ministry's broad mandate spanning road, maritime, rail and air transport limits its ability to adequately address technical aviation matters. According to the assessment, Iraqi Airways, government airports and the national air navigation company have accumulated operational problems that require independent expert monitoring. The paper identifies dependency on foreign maintenance services and the continuation of the European flight ban among the key issues affecting the sector. The assessment emphasizes that investment contracts and infrastructure projects should be tracked according to international performance criteria. It concludes with a call to institutionalize decision-making, oversight and technical evaluation processes as a foundation for lasting reform.