Iraq’s civil aviation regulator has postponed a planned on-site assessment by European safety authorities until at least the third quarter of next year.
The country’s flag-carrier, Iraqi Airways, remains on the European Commission blacklist to which it was added in December 2015.
Iraqi Airways has been striving to secure the lifting of the blacklist ban on its operations, one which also affects Fly Baghdad following its inclusion late last year.
The Commission says a technical meeting the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority was held in October, with participation from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, during which the Iraqi regulator presented updates on its measures to improve oversight.
It has been implementing alignment recommendations on flight operations and personnel licensing, while its measures have also included using a consultancy to support regulatory development.
The Commission says the regulator has “made progress” in addressing “resource gaps”, with recruitment of additional inspectors.
It has also initiated development of a state safety programme and is updating rulemaking procedures in such areas as fatigue risk.
But while the Commission acknowledges the effort, implementation of these updates remains “incomplete”, it states in documentation accompanying its latest blacklist revision.
“[The Civil Aviation Authority] continues to face challenges, including critical shortages in qualified personnel for helicopter and airworthiness inspection,” it adds.
The authority is looking to reduce dependence on international specialists through a training programme for aeronautical engineers, with the intention of qualifying them as airworthiness inspectors.
Although an on-site assessment was originally planned for the first quarter of this year, it was rescheduled to the fourth quarter at the Iraqi regulator’s request, and the Commission says a further postponement to the second or – more probably – third quarter of 2025 has since been proposed.
