At this point, Iraq has acquired responsibility for most of its air space. Officials said the remaining air space would be transferred to the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority in 2011.

Under the latest move, Iraq was given authority for its air space at an altitude of 15,000 feet and above. Until September 2010, Baghdad controlled all air space above 24,000 feet, with the U.S. Air Force handling the lower altitude at air traffic control facilities in Balad and Kirkuk.

On Nov. 1, the rest of Iraqi air space above 15,000 feet would be transferred to the Baghdad government. Officials said the U.S. Air Force, which has contracted an American firm, was developing an Iraqi air traffic control and air defense network to manage the air space.

"We [the Iraqis] will accept two more sectors and at that point, we’ll be in control of 15,000 feet and above, nationwide in Iraq," Gary Brittain, program manager of the Washington Consulting Group, said. "Continuing next year, we will assume the rest of the air space and work all air space in Iraq."

The Washington Consulting Group, based in Maryland, has been contracted by the Iraqi government to assist with the air space transfer. WSG has also been assigned to prepare Iraqi controllers to assume full control of Iraqi air space. More than 400 aircraft a day were reported to fly through Iraqi air space.

The Kirkuk air space consists of the northern third of Iraq. The U.S. Air Force had controlled that air space from the base in Kirkuk.

"This is probably some of the most difficult air traffic to control in the world because there's no back-up radios, there's no back up landlines," Tom Samples, who has been assisting the Iraqis, said. "We've had American controllers come over here that couldn't work this traffic. We had to send them home."

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