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Iraqi Airways
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Iraqi Airways (; 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.
Iraqi Airways is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.
i Airways was founded in 1945 and started operation on 29 January 1946 using Dragon Rapide and Vickers VC.1 Viking aircraft. By 1955 the Viscounts operated all of Iraqi Airways' services.
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Encyclopedia
Iraqi Airways (; 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.
Iraqi Airways is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.
History
Iraqi Airways was founded in 1945 and started operation on 29 January 1946 using Dragon Rapide and Vickers VC.1 Viking 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.
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 Iraqi Airways 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.
Livery
The airline's livery consists of an all white airplane's belly, but with a green cheatline and an aqua green scheme covering the top of their planes. The aqua color goes all the way to the end of the planes' tails. The tail logo consists of 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. Iraqi Airways currently has contracts with Schabak and with Nostalgair to produce their airplane models.
Iraqi Airways appeared to have unveiled a new look, featuring navy blue and white, on their first CRJ-900 which was delivered on 7 October 2008, although there are rumors that it is the CRJ house livery with the Iraqi Airways logo added to it .
Destinations
Fleet
Current
The Iraqi Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 7 March 2009):
Iraqi Airways Fleet | Aircraft | Total | Routes | Notes |
|---|
| Airbus A300B4-2C | 1 | | Operating for Government of Iraq | | Airbus A320-200 | 1 | Short-Medium haul | Operated by Jordan Aviation | | Boeing 737-200 | 2 | Short-Medium haul
Baghdad to Istanbul and Dubai | 1 operated by StarLine
1 operated by Tajik Air | | Boeing 737-300 | 2 | Short-Medium haul
Baghdad to Cairo and Beirut
Erbil to Sulaimaniyah and Amman | Operated by Seagle Air | | Boeing 737-700 | 2 | Short-Medium haul
Baghdad to Damascus, Najaf, Tehran, Beirut, Cairo, Dubai, Amman | | | Boeing 737-800 | (30 orders)
(10 options) | | | | Bombardier CRJ-900ER | 1
(9 orders)
(10 options) | Short-Medium haul
Erbil to Beirut, Najaf, Sulaimaniyah | | | Total | 9
(39 orders)
(20 options) | | |
Iraqi Airways has begun to modernize their fleet;
- In May 2008, the Iraqi government signed a $2.2 billion contract with Boeing for 30 Boeing 737-800 with an option for an additional 10. They are also working on a deal involving the order of 10 Boeing 787 aircraft which would allow for long range service but the contract has not been finalized. Another contract worth $398 million was signed for 10 CRJ-900 aircraft with 10 options from the aircraft manufacturer Bombardier. The first CRJ-900 was delivered in October, 2008. This resulted in a lawsuit against Bombardier by Kuwait Airways. Kuwait claims to have won $1.2 billion dollars in judgments against Iraqi Airways as a result of the Gulf War. The Canadian judge ruled that he did not have jurisdiction because the case involved a foreign government since the purchaser of the aircraft is the government of Iraq not Iraqi Airways. The lawsuit by Kuwait Airways has since been settled in 2009 with Iraq agreeing to pay $300 million dollars.
- In December 2008, Iraqi Airways started to use 2 Boeing 737-300's leased from Seagle Air.
- In January 2009, Iraqi Airways received an Airbus A320-200 leased from Jordan Aviation.
- In February 2009, Iraqi Airways received two Boeing 737-700's from airTran Airways.
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, Beirut and Tehran 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 767-200 aircraft, operated flights for the carrier.
Iraqi Airways still consists of some of the following aircraft;
Note: The list contains aircraft which are still being operated.
Five Airbus A310-300 were also ordered in the late 1980s but war related sanctions prevented Iraq from getting them and they were never built. In July 2008, Airbus Industrie sales chief John Leahy ordered the deal removed from its backlog in response to an inquiry from Reuters about the long-forgotten deal at the 2008 Farnborough Airshow.
Incidents and accidents
Iraqi Airways has had the following incidents since they began operations in 1945;
- On 17 April 1973, a Vickers 735 Viscount performed a belly landing at Mosul International Airport after fuel exhaustion. All 33 passengers and crew survived, but the aircraft was written off.
- On 1 March 1975, a Boeing 737-200 flying from Mosul to Baghdad was hijacked by 3 hijackers. There was 1 death onboard.
- On 23 September 1980, a Ilyushin 76 cargo aircraft flying from Paris to Baghdad crashed whilst on approach to Saddam International Airport. It is believed the aircraft was shot down by Iranian fighter jets. It as also believed all crew members died.
- On 24 September 1980, a Antonov 24TV was destroyed by heavy fire whilst on the ground Kirkuk Airport. There were reports of heavy fire in the area during 24 September.
- On 22 April 1982, a Antonov 24B crashed whilst on approach to an Iraqi airfield. The left wing hit the ground causing the plane to crash. It is believed all crew members died.
- On 28 August 1982, a Antonov 24TV undercarriage collapsed on take-off from Nasiriyah Airport. All onboard survived but the aircraft was written off.
- On 16 September 1984, Iraqi Airways Flight 123, a Boeing 737-270C flying from Larnaca to Baghdad was hijacked by 3 hijackers. The 3 hijackers were killed whilst the rest of the passengers and crew survived.
- On 25 December 1986, Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737-270C flying from Baghdad to Amman experienced a hijack attempt whilst flying over Saudi Arabia. 4 hijackers tried to enter the cockpit whilst flying at FL260. 2 explosions went off resulting in a crash near Arar, Saudi Arabia killing 63 of the 106 onboard.
- During the Gulf War, 2 Iraqi Airways Tupolev Tu-124V were destroyed by U.S. bombs.
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