Three Iraqi nationals became Baghdad’s first tower-certified air traffic controllers after completing months of rigorous instruction based on international aviation safety standards. At a ceremony on May 29, the Director General of Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority Sabeeh Al Shebany and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters, who is visiting Iraq, presented the controllers with their certifications at Baghdad International Airport’s air traffic control facilities.

“This is yet another sign of how Iraqis are taking charge of their own destiny,” said Secretary Peters.  “While the job of these controllers will be to help direct the skies, their mission will be to help guide this nation to a new future.”

An additional 22 controllers are expected to complete their training and receive certification over the coming weeks and months.  The Secretary, who was joined on today’s airport tour by FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell, said that a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration-led team oversaw the “rigorous” training program needed to support the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority now that it controls the nation’s airspace above 29,000 feet.

Secretary Peters noted that training the controllers was part of a broader effort to help Iraq re-enter the international aviation community.  She said that personnel with the U.S. Department of Transportation have been working almost non-stop since 2003 to help upgrade Iraq’s airports, civil aviation regulations and air traffic control facilities.

The Secretary visited the Baghdad Area Control Center to see the air traffic control equipment in use at the facility.  The new equipment was installed using funds provided by the Iraqi government and the U.S. Agency for International Development, she added.  The Center has already handled more than 30,000 civil aviation flights, and that number is expected to grow once Iraqi Airways begins taking possession of new aircraft later this year.

Earlier, Secretary Peters met with Minister of Housing and Construction Beyan Ismail Dezei, one of three female members of the Iraqi Cabinet.  During that meeting, the Secretary and Minister announced the creation of a new center to provide Iraq’s road engineers with the latest design and construction information.