Fresh from meeting a delegation of international inspectors who will decide whether to award his airport international status, Arbil airport supervisor Reshad Omar is quietly confident. Although much of Iraq remains racked by violence and lawlessness, Arbil is in the Kurdish autonomous area which has been prospering despite unrest elsewhere in the country. Investors are keen to come - and the Kurds want to bring them. Until now, however, access to Iraqi Kurdistan has had to be by road - a dangerous prospect for most would-be investors.
Some planes do land at Arbil's airport - an airline run by a non-governmental organisation flies there and there are frequent military flights - but an internationally-recognised certificate is needed before commercial traffic can start.
Having made improvements highlighted by Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) officials after a tour of the facilities three months ago, Kurds are hoping the latest FAA inspection will give them the go-ahead to open an international airport - an important symbol of their growing economic and political clout.
"All the repairs they were asking for have been done," Omar said, adding that these included the installation of a computer landing system and high-frequency radio equipment.
"We're expecting the decision to be announced within two or three weeks."
The current 2.8 km (1.7 mile) runway and $9 million control tower now meet international requirements for landing medium-sized passenger jets, Omar said, and the facilities are being expanded to further augment capacity.
Omar said the Kurdish authorities had struck deals with several airlines to operate flights to Baghdad, Amman and Dubai and that discussions were under way to open a route to Europe.
"We can already assign contracts directly with foreign companies without going through Baghdad - we have immigration and customs facilities just like Baghdad," Omar said.
"But until now they cannot come, we are just waiting for this certificate."
The airport, constructed at a cost of $25 million on dusty wasteland once used as a vast military base by Saddam Hussein's forces, is considered by many Kurds to be a vital part of their aspirations to bolster their autonomous region.
Red, white and green Kurdish flags fly proudly next to the runway and pictures of Kurdish political leaders and historical figures decorate the terminal.
"An airport means you have a country," said Kurdish businessman Mohammed Emin, pointing out that the region is landlocked and surrounded by countries wary of the growing influence of Iraqi Kurds.
"Kurds have a lot of problems with the countries sharing our territorial borders - it sometimes takes 10 or 20 days for my goods to get through and this affects my business."
Officials are also hoping the comparative safety of the Kurdish zone, combined with Arbil's proximity to economic centres like Kirkuk and Mosul will make the airport an important regional centre.
"If you look at Baghdad, Mosul or Basra - these airports are basically military bases," said Sirwan Abdulkerim, the airport's public relations director.
He pointed to January's successful transit of around 5,000 Haj pilgrims to Jeddah on planes departing from Arbil, under a special arrangement with coalition authorities, as a demonstration of the airport's potential.
"We can accomplish many things because of good security," he said. "If people want to come into Iraq they should come here."
In Arbil, the expectation is that the granting of international status is now merely a formality. One Kurdish company is already taking bookings for a flight to Dubai on a passenger jet leased from abroad.
United Iraqi Airlines, established in August 2004, is advertising return tickets for $550 on a Boeing 737 aircraft currently on standby in Dubai, according to the company's director.
Hashim Muhammed said his company, backed by the Kurdish authorities, was awaiting final approval from Baghdad and international bodies before the plane could be brought over.
"The certificate is the main issue - there will be no more excuses when we have that," he said, adding that the company had previously encountered "indirect obstacles" from Baghdad.
Tickets and boarding cards have been printed for the fully-booked first flight, Muhammed said, and the company was in discussions with Frankfurt and even London Gatwick to land aircraft there.
The Kurds are certainly planning ahead. The $150 million airport expansion project is due for completion by the end of 2006, giving Arbil the potential capacity to handle four or five million air passengers a year.
Airport authorities are also hoping to establish the first ever Kurdish flying school in conjunction with a Jordanian company - a small runway at the airport has already been earmarked as a training area.
Officials insist the ambitious plans are more than a show of strength.
"This is not just something to be proud of - we're trying to assess and serve our people's needs," said Zaid Zwain, the airport's general director, pointing to the large community of Iraqi Kurds who live abroad.
"This won't be the last airport in the Kurdish region."
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