Image:Iraqi Airways Il-76 Cargo Aircraft (2167325034).jpg

Iraqi Airways Il-76 Cargo Aircraft, Baghdad International Airport(BIAP). Iraqi Airways, also known as Air Iraq, is the national carrier airline of Iraq, based in Baghdad and it is also the oldest airline of the Middle East. It operates domestic and regional services. Its main base is Baghdad International Airport. Iraqi Airways is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization. The Iraqi Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of November 2007): 1 A300B4-2C (operated for Govt.) 2 Boeing 727-200 (operated by Teebah Airlines) 2 Boeing 737-200 (1 operated by Teebah/stored at Amman, 1 operated by Dolphin Air) Iraqi Airways has 5 Boeing 737-400 aircraft on order. The Boeing 737-400s will be acquired on lease. Former fleet: Iraqi Airways fleet was composed of the following aircraft types from the 1970s until 2003, some of these aircraft were stored in Amman, Beirut and Tehran during the 1990 Gulf war, air worthy ones operated a few Hajj flights during the 1990s: Antonov An-24 Boeing 707-320 Boeing 727-200 Boeing 737-200 Boeing 747-200 Boeing 747 SP (passenger and government) Ilyushin IL-76 cargo freighter Four Airbus A310-300 were also ordered in the late 1980s but war related sanctions prevented Iraq from getting them and they were never built. Post 2003 they also operated a single Boeing 767-200 and a 757-200 for a short while.Baghdad International Airport, formerly Saddam International Airport, is Iraq's largest airport, located in a suburb about 16 km (10 miles) west of downtown Baghdad. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the airport was named Saddam International Airport after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Although the name was changed in the invasion's wake, Baghdad retains its former IATA airport code of SDA (although some airlines use the code BGW). Its ICAO airport code was ORBS, but changed to ORBI in 2003. The airport is referred to as BIAP (buy-ap), while the surrounding military complex is called the Victory Base Complex (VBC) by coalition civil and military authorities. On April 3, 2003, United States forces led by the 3rd Infantry Division seized Saddam International Airport as part of the invasion of Baghdad, and then immediately changed the name to "Baghdad International Airport" (commonly referred to as BIAP by U.S. forces). Also, the "Saddam" signage was removed from the terminal buildings and replaced with "Baghdad". All paintings depicting the former leader have now been removed. By mid-year, the airport had became a small city of tents and trailers housing 10,000 American servicemen. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided a budget of over $17 million to restore the terminal and airfield to operational status. A make shift Burger King restaurant was established by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) at the U.S. 1st Armored Division headquarters sector of the airport in June 2003. The Royal Australian Air Force provided an air traffic control capability from May 2003 until late 2004. The airport officially reverted to civilian control on August 25, 2004. Iraqi Airways and Royal Jordanian Airlines currently operate regular flights to Amman, Jordan, and FedEx and DHL operate civilian and military cargo services. However, the airport's perimeter is regularly threatened by Iraqi insurgents; aircraft taking off and landing at the airport use a "corkscrew maneuver," a spiraling pattern of climbing and descending directly over the airport to avoid coming within range of small arms and missiles on the ground. A DHL Airbus cargo plane was hit by a surface to air missile shortly after takeoff from the airport in 2003, in what was later known as the DHL shootdown incident. The aircraft performed a successful emergency landing but suffered serious damage to its left wing. Since July 2003, the civilian areas of the airport have been secured by civilian contractors. From July 2003 to June 2004, an American firm, Custer Battles, secured the airport under a contract from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). At the completion of their contract, coinciding with the dissolution of the CPA, the Iraq Ministry of Transportation awarded a contract to the British security firm Global RSL.[2] The terminal area is currently secured by a private force of 500 Iraqi and Gurkha guards. The main road from the airport to downtown Baghdad, nicknamed "Route Irish," is now infamous as one of the most dangerous routes in the world. On November 8, 2004, as part of a general US and Iraqi assault against Fallujah, Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi closed the airport for 48 hours, with the stated reason of preventing insurgents from leaving the country. On April 29, 2005, Air Scotland announced its intentions to begin a Glasgow-London Stansted-Irbil-Baghdad service. Although initial intentions were to begin this route in November 2005 with Tristar jetliners, this service never started and Air Scotland is now defunct.

Iraqi Airways Il-76 Cargo Aircraft

January 04, 2008 at 16:35

jamesdale10

see below