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Iraqi Airways

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Iraqi Airways
File:Image-Iraqi Airways.jpg
IATA ICAO Call sign
IA IAW IRAQI
Founded1945
HubsBaghdad International Airport
Focus citiesBasra International Airport
Fleet size11 (+46 orders, 19 options)
Destinations11
Parent companyAir Iraq Co.
HeadquartersBaghdad, Iraq
Websitehttp://www.iraqiairways.co.uk/

Iraqi Airways (Arabic: الخطوط الجوية العراقية; also known as Air Iraq) is the national carrier of Iraq, based in Baghdad and it is the oldest airline in the Middle East. It operates domestic and regional service. Its main base is Baghdad International Airport.[1]

Iraqi Airways is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.

History

File:Iraqi Airways Il-76 Cargo Aircraft (2167325034).jpg
Ilyushin Il-76MD at Basle in November 1984

Beginnings

Iraqi Airways was founded in 1945 and operated Dragon Rapide and Vickers Viscount aircraft. By 1955 the Viscounts operated all of Iraqi Airways' services. In the 1960s Iraqi Airways bought Russian Tupolev Tu-124 planes as well as Hawker Siddeley Trident aircraft. These jets allowed Iraqi Airways to increase service across the Middle East, to Africa and Europe. During that time, cargo aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-76 were also purchased. During the 1970s, Iraqi Airways needed a bigger jet for a new route to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, purchasing the Boeing 707 and, soon after, the Boeing 747.

Decline

The Iran-Iraq War did little to undermine the airline's activities. Since Iraq's invasion in 1990 of Kuwait, Iraqi Airways was grounded by the United Nations' sanctions against the country. Iraqi Airways had 17 jets, all of which were moved to secret locations, mainly in Jordan.

Attempts were made to restart internal services in May 1991 and permission was granted by the UN for the operation of helicopters on limited domestic services. Fixed-wing flights were banned under the ceasefire terms, although the UN Security Council agreed to the resumption of internal flights. These restarted in January 1992 from Baghdad to Basra using Antonov An-24 aircraft. Operations were suspended shortly after, following a UN ruling.[1]

However, domestic flights became a rarity too, because of the No-Fly Zone imposed by the United States and United Kingdom over Iraqi skies. On occasions, Iraqi Airways would also fly pilgrims to Muslim religious cities throughout the 1990s.

Revival

After the War in Iraq, on May 30, 2003, Iraqi Airways announced plans to resume international services. The rights to the Iraqi Airways name was transferred to a new and separate company called Air Iraq Company which would build a new airline and protect it from the legal problems related to the regime of Saddam Hussein. Operations restarted on 3 October 2004 with a flight between Baghdad and Amman.

Iraqi Airways operated the first domestic commercial scheduled service since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime from Baghdad to Basra, with 100 passengers in a Boeing 727-247, on 4 June 2005. On 6 November 2005, Iraqi Airways operated a flight from Baghdad to Tehran, Iran, for the first time in 25 years. The aircraft, as with the rest of the fleet, is operated on its behalf by Teebah Airlines of Jordan. Services to Arbil and Sulaymaniyah were added in summer 2005.

Destinations

Iraqi Airways serves the following domestic and international scheduled destinations, as of December 2007:

  • These destinations are "current" according to the airline's website, however, the instability of the airline and Iraq as a whole mean that these destinations may be served unreliably or change often.

Africa

North Africa

Asia

Southwest Asia

Former destinations

Iraqi Airways network spanned the Middle and Far East, Africa, Europe and South America, the list compiled in the table is from their 1981 and earlier schedules.

Fleet

The Iraqi Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of March 2008):[2]

Iraqi Airways Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers Notes
A300B4-2C 1 operated for the Government of Iraq
Boeing 727-200 2 operated by Teebah Airlines
Boeing 737-200 5 operated by Teebah Airlines
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 1 operated by Global Aviation
Boeing 767-200 2

Ordered Aircraft

On March 31, 2008, Iraqi Airways signed a 5.5$ billion contract with Boeing Co. for 40 aircraft [16] and about 0.4$ billion contract with Bombardier Aircraft of Canada for 10 aircraft [17], all are to be delivered between 2008-2019.

Former fleet

Iraqi Airways fleet was composed of mostly Boeing aircraft ordered during 1970s and served with the carrier until the 1990 ban on air travel. Until 2003, some of these aircraft were stored in Amman, Jordan; Beirut, Lebanon and Tehran, Iran, because of the Gulf War and ban on air travel in Iraq. However, some air worthy crafts operated a few Hajj flights during the 1990s. After the 2004 re-organization, several restored 727s and 737s, in addition to leased 757-200 and 767-200 aircraft, operated flights for the carrier.

Four Airbus A310-300 were also ordered in the late 1980s but war related sanctions prevented Iraq from getting them and they were never built.

Livery

The airline's livery is a white belly, with a green cheatline and an aqua green scheme covering the top of the fuselage, going to the end of the tail. The tail logo is a green bird inside a white circle, with the name Iraqi Airways inscribed just below the circle, in white color and in Arabic. The same title is also inscribed over the passenger windows on the front part of the fuselage, using the same color but written in English

References

  1. ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 94.
  2. ^ CH-Aviation - Airline News, Fleet Lists & More

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