On its long recovery journey after closing its doors during the Gulf War in 1991, Iraqi Airways is close to receiving its first Boeing 787-8.
The aircraft registration YI-ATC was seen at Boeing’s US facility in final testing last week. It is one of 10 planes ordered by the Iraqi government years ago, but which have just started to be delivered.
The Dreamliner will be the third new model to be received by Iraqi Airways since last year, when the first Airbus A220-300 was delivered – the company already has four of them in operation.
Weeks ago it was the turn of the first Boeing 737 MAX 8, which has been in service since March 9. The 787-8, in turn, should be delivered in the next
With a very diversified fleet, which includes jets from the A320 family, the A330, 747, 767 and 777, Iraqi Airways seeks to recover its status as a safe airline, in order to re-establish flights to higher demand destinations such as London, Paris and New York.
The state carrier, however, is banned by the European Union from flying over the continent, something it hopes to reverse soon. The investment in fleet renewal is part of the plan to obtain approval from civil aviation authorities in the US and Europe.
Founded in 1945, shortly after the end of World War II, Iraqi Airways began service the following year. For decades, the airline maintained a fleet of both Western and Soviet jets such as the Tupolev Tu-124.
In the 1970s, the company received the Boeing 707 and 747 (including the 747SP version), with which it expanded its international routes, including flights from Baghdad to Rio de Janeiro.
After the invasion of Kuwait, promoted by Saddam Hussein, Iraqi ended up ending operations and prohibited from flying again for many years. The airline’s return only took place in 2005, but the resumption of its network has been quite slow.
