IRAQ | Aviation Sector

[Halawala]

Originally Posted by Halawala

I doubt mainline carrier EK will start flying with their own metal to Baghdad. Maybe they'll send of FlyDubai to do their job--like they did for other destinations like Baku for example.

Boy was I wrong!!

EK announces Baghdad from July 1st!

Souce: www.ameinfo.com

Emirates will launch flights to Baghdad from 1st July 2010. Baghdad will be Emirates' 103rd international destination and one of six new destinations to be launched by the airline this year including; Tokyo - which began on 28th March, Amsterdam, Prague, Madrid and Dakar.

Im guessing A332 equipment.

[BigDreamer]

that's great news and to be honest, I didn't expect it either, at least not this early.

good, i always fly EK

[elusive]

very good news for Baghdad

[BigDreamer]

looks like the rush for Iraqi skies is finally here so carriers planning entry to the Iraqi market this year:

Lufthansa
Qatar Airways
FlyDubai (potentially)
Emirates

I also read that KLM was interested in the market, but i haven't read anything official from them

[napoleon]

Thai airport workers bring know-how to Iraq

Bangkokpost Published: 10/05/2010 at 12:00 AM


This may come as a total surprise to the people of Thailand, but a group of about 25-30 Thai airport personnel are helping manage the flow of hundreds of pilgrims arriving in the Iraqi city of Najaf, one of the holiest sites of Shia Islam.

The staff, nearly all former staff of the Thai Airport Ground Services (TAGS), are on one-year contracts to help with passenger services and ramp handling. They were once contracted through a Kuwaiti company but are now under the direct employ of Najaf Airport, which kept the staff after the company pulled out following some contractual disagreements.

I bumped into one of them, Chatchawal Damrongphan, at Bahrain Airport while waiting to catch the Gulf Air connection to Najaf. Mr Chatchawal, 50, apparently the most senior among the Thais, said he had been in Iraq for three years as part of the effort by the Iraqi government to develop the airport as a gateway to that strategically significant part of the country.

Located about 250 kilometres south of Baghdad, Najaf features the tomb of Ali Ibne Abu-Talib, son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad. The Shias believe Ali to be Muhammad's immediate successor while the Sunni branch of Islam recognises him as the fourth Caliph.

Najaf and the nearby city of Kufa, where Ali was assassinated, are visited by thousands of Shia Muslims from Iran, India, Pakistan, Bahrain and other Gulf countries with large Shia communities. This traffic movement is one of the less-known aspects of the growing demand for global religious travel.

Mr Chatchawal told me that airlines operating to Najaf today include Iraqi Airways, Bahrain Air, Gulf Air, Mahan Air, Sham Wings (a private Syrian carrier) and a few others. He says the potential is huge but foreign airlines are restricted to only 800 seats a week in order to support the fledgling local carrier Iraqi Airways.

Mr Chatchawal worked in Saudi Arabia for five years. After returning to Thailand for a year, he went to Iraq where he makes US$2,000 a month and sends most of it back home to support his wife and two children, aged 13 and 15.

The Thai group includes two women, one of whom, Kanokporn Thaewthad, 39, works as a passenger services supervisor. Hailing from Krabi, Miss Kanokporn told me she has no family to support, and is perhaps a rarity as a single woman working in such a conflict-ridden part of the Middle East.

The Thais all live in a camp about 10 minutes walk from the airport. They work six months at a stretch and get one month off. They are also supposed to get one day off a week but as there is nothing much for them to do in Najaf, they mostly just stay on the job. The group was 70-strong at one stage, but many have returned home.

All but two of the staff are Buddhists, and they admit to having a tough time living in a society where alcohol and pork are taboo. But, says Miss Kanokporn, "We get used to it."

Another staffer, Anuwat Kardeeroj, 31, a Muslim from Bangkok, said a group of Shia Thai Muslims came to Najaf for a pilgrimage the previous week.

The Thai staff are clearly well-liked by the locals. I saw both Mr Chatchawal and Miss Kanokporn being greeted at the airport by the Iraqi staff like long-lost friends and, in the case of Mr Chatchawal, with the traditional Arab hug and peck on both cheeks.

Asked if Thais are training the local Iraqis to take over their jobs, Mr Chatchawal said it will be a long time before the Iraqis are capable of running the show. In addition to the shortage of qualified manpower, he says there are a lot of internal conflicts amongst the peoples themselves.

Mr Chatchawal introduced me to Essa Al Shemeri, the airport director, a short, powerfully built Iraqi who welcomed me to Najaf with a crisp "sawasdee khrap".

"I've been to Thailand many times," he chortles. "Mostly to Pattaya, in the days when I used to be a bad boy." He says he has also been to Singapore, mostly for work.

Iraq is trying to promote tourism as part of its job-creation programme. Islamic pilgrimage tourism is a natural fit as the country is dotted with mosques, shrines and museums dating back to its historic days as a centre of Islamic education, culture and civilisation.

However, due to ongoing security concerns, there are military checkpoints literally every 500 metres on the provincial roads and every four or five kilometres on the main highways. Mobile phones and cameras are no longer allowed into any of the religious spots.

[asif iqbal]

German and Japan were forgiven for thier crimes and everyone helped re-build them, once they became powerful even until this day they are paying for WWII crimes

Let Iraq grow, give them a chance to make it then talk about debts

[hakz2007]

EMIRATES ANNOUNCES SERVICES TO IRAQ

DUBAI, May 11 (NNN-WAM) -- Emirates will launch flights to Baghdad from July 1.

Baghdad will be Emirates' 103rd international destination and one of six new destinations to be launched by the airline this year including Tokyo, which began on March 28, Amsterdam, Prague, Madrid and Dakar.

Iraq is the last remaining Middle Eastern destination to be frequented by Emirates. The carrier's current number of weekly Middle Eastern flights totals 197, across 10 countries.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: "The launch of services to Baghdad highlights our steadfast commitment to connecting the Arab world with the rest of the globe. As the last remaining Middle Eastern country to receive our services I am delighted that we have now come full circle."

"Iraq is well on the road to recovery and we are confident that the time is right to commence our operations there. There is a high proportion of traffic heading both in and out of Iraq and we are in the right position to capitalise on this demand. 2010 is set to be a strong year for Emirates and with a steady stream of new aircraft and six new destinations on the map we continue to defy industry expectations," he added.

Initially, Emirates will operate a thrice weekly service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The route will be serviced by an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, offering a three-class configuration of 12 First Class, 42 Business Class and 183 Economy Class seats.

Emirates expects the passenger mix travelling in and out of Iraq to come from a variety of sources, with a significant skew towards industry and government personnel. The construction, telecommunications and oil sectors are expected to make up three of the largest industry segments.

Iraqi nationals, both in Baghdad and residing outside of Iraq are also expected to be strong users of this new service. The new service out of Baghdad will provide travellers in the capital with good onward connections to many of Emirates' global destinations including the GCC, Levant and Britain via Dubai.

Emirates expects to uplift around 10-12 tonnes of cargo per flight, using the belly hold capacity on the wide-bodied passenger aircraft.

Ram Menen, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo, said: "We will be importing various commodities into Iraq as the country continues its reconstruction -- ranging from perishable foodstuffs and garments to electronics and oil well equipment -- from all corners of the world. Our vast network and short connection times mean we are able to serve Iraq with the efficiency our customers in other markets have come to expect from Emirates."

http://namnewsnetwork.org/v2/read.php?id=119916

[BigDreamer]

Iraq to invite bids for Al Furat Al Awsat Airport

MEED reported that Iraq's Civil Aviation Authority expects to invite companies to bid for the first construction contract for the new Al Furat Al Awsat international airport in the H2 of 2010.

Mr Adnan Blebil DG of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority said that the airport will be constructed in three phases with each phase being able to handle 6 million passengers a year. The Phase I will involve building a passenger terminal to accommodate 6 million passengers a year, a control tower, a runway, taxiway infrastructure, administrative buildings, a mosque and a meteorological centre. The airport will ultimately be able to accommodate 18 million visitors annually when complete.

He said that Iraq also plans to build an airport city adjacent to the airport but this is a long term plan and not part of the first phase of development.

France's Aeroports de Paris Ingenierie won the contract to carry out the development study for the airport in November 2009. Under the contract, ADPi selected the site for the airport development, carried out the master plan for the airport including the airport city and also carried out detailed studies for the first development phase.

Al Furat Al Awsat airport is located between the cities of Najaf and Karbala which is about 100 kilometres southwest of Baghdad. The region receives about 12 million visitors a year with the majority traveling during the main pilgrimage period. The region is an important pilgrimage site for Shi'a muslims and has a number of shrines and areas of religious significance.

Mr Blebil said that there are also long term plans to expand the existing airports of Erbil airport and Suleimaniyah airport in northern Iraq.

[sheytanElKebir]

http://www.swedishwire.com/component...sweden-flights

Iraq Airways ends plans for Sweden flights
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi Airways has abandoned plans for services to Britain and Sweden because of the "escalation" of a legal battle with Kuwait, the state-run carrier's chief said.

• Kuwaiti authority tried to seize Swedish airplane
• Sweden–Iraq airliner makes emergency landing

"We are sorry to announce to our fellow citizens, especially the communities living in Britain and Sweden, that Iraqi Airways will stop flying to these two countries because of difficult circumstances as a result of Kuwaiti escalation," Kifah Hassan Jabbar said.

Jabbar had his passport seized and the plane he arrived on impounded at London's Gatwick Airport on April 25 as a dispute with Kuwait Airways marred Iraqi Airways's first commercial flight from Baghdad to London in 20 years.

Kuwait Airways says Iraqi Airways owes it 1.2 billion dollars, a dispute dating back to Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. According to the emirate, 10 of its planes as well as aircraft parts were plundered after its airport was seized during the invasion.

Jabbar's passport was eventually returned and he was allowed to return home on May 6 after he complied with the court order to provide Kuwait Airways with an affidavit of Iraqi Airways's assets in Britain.

"We hope that our fellow citizens understand this decision," Jabbar said.

"Politicians have kept their mouths shut and decision makers have not stood up to face the consequences of the ex-regime, which has put us in this situation."

[dude01]

Originally Posted by sheytanElKebir

http://www.swedishwire.com/component...sweden-flights

Iraq Airways ends plans for Sweden flights
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi Airways has abandoned plans for services to Britain and Sweden because of the "escalation" of a legal battle with Kuwait, the state-run carrier's chief said.

• Kuwaiti authority tried to seize Swedish airplane
• Sweden–Iraq airliner makes emergency landing

"We are sorry to announce to our fellow citizens, especially the communities living in Britain and Sweden, that Iraqi Airways will stop flying to these two countries because of difficult circumstances as a result of Kuwaiti escalation," Kifah Hassan Jabbar said.

Jabbar had his passport seized and the plane he arrived on impounded at London's Gatwick Airport on April 25 as a dispute with Kuwait Airways marred Iraqi Airways's first commercial flight from Baghdad to London in 20 years.

Kuwait Airways says Iraqi Airways owes it 1.2 billion dollars, a dispute dating back to Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. According to the emirate, 10 of its planes as well as aircraft parts were plundered after its airport was seized during the invasion.

Jabbar's passport was eventually returned and he was allowed to return home on May 6 after he complied with the court order to provide Kuwait Airways with an affidavit of Iraqi Airways's assets in Britain.

"We hope that our fellow citizens understand this decision," Jabbar said.

"Politicians have kept their mouths shut and decision makers have not stood up to face the consequences of the ex-regime, which has put us in this situation."

allah yen3al koweit al khara..saddam didnt finish his job!

[kurd123]

Originally Posted by dude01

allah yen3al koweit al khara..saddam didnt finish his job!

Thats uncalled for

[sheytanElKebir]

Originally Posted by dude01

allah yen3al koweit al khara..saddam didnt finish his job!

to be honest the real problem has been the incompetence of the IA and Iraqi transport ministry in dealing with this matter.

they have to "play the game" and these guys haven't got a clue.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The biggest section of Iraq's military has to be its international law department to fight a battle against all our (neighbourly) enemies.

The second biggest section being the "lone wolf" units to bring the message home to our "dear" neighbours.

[BigDreamer]

Guys I know this is a sensitive issue, please remember this is a public forum, hateful comments are not tolerated.

I'm very saddened by this latest news. I just don't know how Iraq can fix this!

i think Iraqi airways should be dismantled and a new national airways should rise from its ashes.
The new entity should be independent from the previous one, so to avoid any legal attacks instigated by Kuwait airways.

I also think Iraq should pursue legal action against Kuwaitis, for example, Kuwait has illegally violated oil reserves reaching well beyond the borders using horizontal oil drilling

[BigDreamer]

A quick note to Dude, I don't know how appropriate for you claim that "Saddam should've finished his job" If it wasn't for Saddam, we wouldn't be in this stupid mess

[dude01]

Originally Posted by BigDreamer

A quick note to Dude, I don't know how appropriate for you claim that "Saddam should've finished his job" If it wasn't for Saddam, we wouldn't be in this stupid mess

I know that we wouldn't be in that mess because of the hmar saddam but also not only they (kuwait) always stole our oil and made our life miserable..they paid that idiot saddam to go invade Iran..they couldn't afford the destruction of their own country so they paid an idiot to destruct his own country...so saddam should've just made a kuwait a desert again..allah yen3al kuwait and make they're lives miserable like the one we live in.

[dude01]

and btw when i said finish his job i meant about kuwait's not our kurdish brothers..sorry kurd123 if i offended you :P

[elusive]

sad news, but no one should be blamed...though Kuwait should just leave what was done in the past, it doesn't need the money so they should just let it go.

[BigDreamer]

Originally Posted by dude01

I know that we wouldn't be in that mess because of the hmar saddam but also not only they (kuwait) always stole our oil and made our life miserable..they paid that idiot saddam to go invade Iran..they couldn't afford the destruction of their own country so they paid an idiot to destruct his own country...so saddam should've just made a kuwait a desert again..allah yen3al kuwait and make they're lives miserable like the one we live in.

Did you know that Iraq is paying Kuwait in reparations more than what Germany paid France and Britain COMBINED, after WWI !! (this is of course inflation adjusted).

Kuwait will hurt itself in the long term if it carries on with such policies. Isn't it better to have Iraq as an ally, Iraq-Kuwait trade could flourish.

Although I don't agree with any violence against Kuwait, Iraq must respect all of our neighbours, but I have to admit, what Kuwait is doing really does strike a nerve ..

[BigDreamer]

Iraq dissolves Iraqi Airways over Kuwait dispute

BAGHDAD -- A Transportation Ministry spokesman says Iraq's government has decided to dissolve state-owned Iraqi Airways because it is bankrupt from a decades-old financial dispute with Kuwait.

The spokesman Karim al-Tamimi said Wednesday that the government made the decision on Tuesday, when the airline declared bankruptcy.

Oil-rich Kuwait is demanding $1.2 billion in reparations from the airliner for alleged theft of 10 airplanes and millions of dollars worth of spare parts during Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of the neighboring Gulf state.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...052601194.html

[elusive]

Originally Posted by BigDreamer

Iraq dissolves Iraqi Airways over Kuwait dispute

BAGHDAD -- A Transportation Ministry spokesman says Iraq's government has decided to dissolve state-owned Iraqi Airways because it is bankrupt from a decades-old financial dispute with Kuwait.

The spokesman Karim al-Tamimi said Wednesday that the government made the decision on Tuesday, when the airline declared bankruptcy.

Oil-rich Kuwait is demanding $1.2 billion in reparations from the airliner for alleged theft of 10 airplanes and millions of dollars worth of spare parts during Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of the neighboring Gulf state.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...052601194.html

very disappointing to see this company which has been run for so long end like this...however it gives iraq the chance to start fresh i guess...but what's going to happen to the fleet they ordered?