Iraqi Airways Company, operating as Iraqi Airways,[1] is the national carrier of Iraq, headquartered on the grounds of Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad.[2][3] It is the second oldest airline in the Middle East. Iraqi Airways operates domestic and regional services; its main base is Baghdad International Airport.[4]
History
Early history
Iraqi Airways was founded in 1945 as a department of the Iraqi State Railways and started operating on 28 January 1946 using five De Havilland Dragon Rapides on a service to Syria. With the help of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), the new airline ordered three Vickers Viking aircraft. While waiting for the Vikings to be delivered, it leased four Douglas DC-3 aircraft from BOAC in December 1946. In 1947, the airline ordered the de Havilland Dove to replace the Dragon Rapides; the Doves were delivered in October 1947. The three new Vikings were delivered at the end of 1947 and the DC-3s returned to BOAC. A fourth Viking was bought second-hand.
In 1953, the four-engined Vickers Viscount turboprop was chosen to replace the Vikings and an order for three was placed in July. The Viscounts entered service in 1955 and operated all of Iraqi Airways' international services, including a new route to London with intermediate stops. On 1 April 1960, the airline was split from the railway company. In 1961, it placed an order for two Boeing 720Bs for delivery in 1964, but the order was later cancelled.
In the 1960s, Iraqi Airways bought Russian Tupolev Tu-124 planes as well as Hawker Siddeley Trident aircraft. These jets allowed the airline to increase services across the Middle East, to Africa and Europe. At the 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; it purchased the Boeing 707 and, soon after, the Boeing 747. Airfares were kept artificially low through state subsidies under the Iraqi Ba'athist government.[5]
Later history
Attempts were made to restart domestic services after the Gulf War in May 1991, and permission was granted by the United Nations to operate helicopters on limited domestic services. Fixed-wing flights were banned under the ceasefire terms, although the UN Security Council agreed to the resumption of domestic flights. These restarted in January 1992 from Baghdad to Basra, using Antonov An-24 aircraft. Operations were suspended shortly after, following a UN ruling.[4]
However, domestic flights became a rarity too, because of the no-fly zone imposed by the United States and United Kingdom over Iraqi skies. During the 1990s, Iraqi Airways would occasionally fly pilgrims to Muslim religious cities.
Revival
After the Iraq War, on 30 May 2003, Iraqi Airways announced plans to resume international services. The rights to the Iraqi Airways name were transferred to a new and separate company called Iraqi Airways Company, which would establish a new airline and protect it from the legal problems tied to Saddam Hussein's regime. 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 727-200, on 4 June 2005. On 6 November 2005, Iraqi Airways operated a flight from Baghdad to Tehran, Iran, for the first time in twenty-five years. The aircraft, as with the rest of the fleet, was operated on its behalf by Teebah Airlines of Jordan. Services to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah were added in the summer of 2005.
In June 2009, it was revealed that Iraqi Airways had struck a deal with British aviation authorities to resume direct from Baghdad to London Gatwick Airport; the flights were supposed to begin on 8 August 2009 using a Boeing 737-400 leased from Tor Air and would eventually have seen the Airbus A320-200 operating the route. This did not happen as planned, however. The airline said at the time that they intended a bigger expansion into the UK and Europe.[6]
Livery
In 2008, Iraqi Airways received a single Bombardier CRJ in an adapted version of Bombardier's distinctive blue and white demonstrator livery with Iraqi titles and logos. The rest of the CRJ fleet was delivered in a version of the former green livery and YI-AQA was quickly painted to match. In 2012 Iraqi Airways adopted a new green livery which was applied fleet-wide.
Destinations
In March 2009, Iraqi Airways began its first flights to Sweden in almost 19 years.[21]
In September 2009, the airline resumed flights to Bahrain[22] and Doha, Qatar.[23]
In October 2009, Iraqi Airways resumed flights to Karachi, Pakistan.[24] The airline also started seasonal (Hajj) flights to Jeddah.
After revealing the previous month that it had applied for rights to fly to Malmö, Sweden,[25] Iraqi Airways commenced flights to the city on 28 November 2009.
Fleet
Current fleet
As of August 2025, Iraqi Airways operates the following aircraft:[28]
Fleet development
In May 2008, the Iraqi government signed a $2.2 billion contract with Boeing for 30 Boeing 737-800s with an option for an additional 10. It was also working on a deal involving the order of ten Boeing 787 Dreamliners aircraft for long-range service.[31]
Another contract worth $398 million was signed for ten Bombardier CRJ-900ER aircraft with ten options.[32] The first CRJ-900ER was delivered in October 2008. This resulted in a lawsuit against Bombardier by Kuwait Airways
Accidents and incidents
Iraqi Airways was subject to fatal incidents with the last occurring on 25 December 1986. In the modern day, it has seen significant improvements in its fleet and operations. The airline has had the following incidents, accidents, and hijackings since it began operations in 1945:[36]
- On 4 February 1955, de Havilland Dove YI-ABJ crashed following an engine fire in Al-Mansuriya, Iraq.
- On 10 October 1955, a Vickers 644 Viking 1B overran the runway at Baghdad and crashed into a ditch, where it caught fire. All nineteen passengers and crew survived, but the aircraft was written off.
- On 19 March 1965, a Vickers 773 Viscount crashed into a row of lamp posts at Cairo after a flight from Baghdad. All passengers and crew survived, but the aircraft was written off.
- On 17 April 1973, a Vickers 735 Viscount performed a belly landing at Mosul International Airport after running out of fuel. 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 three hijackers. There was one death on board, a hijacker.
External links
References
- Arab Air Carriers Organization^
- "Iraqi Airways Office in Baghdad ." Iraqi Airways. Retrieved 6 March 2010.^
- "Iraqi Airways ." Arab Air Carriers Organization. Retrieved 19 October 2009.^