DOT's Peters Presents Three With Certifications

And we thought the rush hour shift in the cab at EWR was a tough gig. Three Iraqi nationals became Baghdad’s first tower-certified air traffic controllers this week, after completing months of instruction.

At a ceremony on May 29, the Director General of Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority Sabeeh Al Shebany and US Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters 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 Peters, who is visiting Iraq. "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 the airport tour by FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell, said a Federal Aviation Administration-led team oversaw the "rigorous" training program needed to support the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority now it controls the nation’s airspace above 29,000 feet.

Peters noted training the controllers was part of a broader effort to help Iraq re-enter the international aviation community. She said personnel with the US Department of Transportation have been working 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 new equipment installed at the facility, using funds provided by the Iraqi government and the US Agency for International Development, she added. The Center has already handled more than 30,000 civil aviation fights, and that number is expected to grow once Iraqi Airways begins taking possession of new aircraft later this year.

FMI: www.dot.gov, http://iraqcaa.com/