Boeing is holding discussions on the establishment of a commercial airline in Iraq, according to the company's Middle East regional vice-president, John Craig, who adds that the company hopes to provide the unnamed venture with aircraft and training.
Flag carrier Iraqi Airways has 17 aircraft, including Boeing 707s, 737s and 747s, but many of these were grounded at Jordan's Queen Alia International airport, near Amman, after the 1990-1 Gulf War, when Iraqi Airways had to cease international operations because of UN sanctions. Few of the company's aircraft are now serviceable.
Airbus could also become a supplier. In the early 1990s the Baghdad government signed an initial agreement for the purchase of 10 aircraft, for which the European company is thought to have received a 10% deposit. Bahnam Zaya, Iraq's interim transport minister, has declared an intention to reopen negotiations about the aircraft.
Airbus still lists a firm order for five A310-300s from Iraqi Airways in its backlog.
The security situation in Iraq remains poor and there is scant prospect of a relaunch of the commercial aviation sector in the short term. On 15 November an Airbus A300 cargo aircraft operated by the Brussels-based freight carrier DHL was badly damaged after being struck by a surface-to-air missile shortly after taking off from Baghdad International airport.
Source: Flight International
