First Iraq flight since 1990 lands in Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 27, (Agencies): Kuwait International Airport received on Wednesday the first Iraqi Airbus 320 plane on a trip which is the first of its kind in 23 years.

On board the plane were foreign and transport ministers Hoshyar Zebari and Hadi Al-Amri, in addition to an official delegation and media personnel.

The plane was greeted upon arrival by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, Iraq’s ambassador to the country Mohammed Hussein Bahr al-Ulum, President of the Kuwait Directorate of Civivl Aviation Fawaz Al-Farah and Chairman and Managing Director of Kuwait Airways Corporation Sami Al-Nisf. The plane landed on the Amiri runway at 11:55

am local time with a symbolic ceremony followed by an official reception of the Iraqi guests.

For his part, Al-Nisf said that all outstanding issues between the Kuwaiti and Iraqi national carriers have been completed and fully resolved.

He told reporters that Kuwait Airways continues a restructuring plan to build its fleet, adding that buying new aircraft or hiring others “takes time”.

When asked about the possibility of operating new flights to Iraq, Al-Nisf said that there is a trend in this regard, “but that the shortage in the number of aircraft hinders us at the time being”.

The invasion of Kuwait led to the first Gulf War in which a US-led coalition intervened to force Iraq out.

Diplomatic ties between the neighbours were bolstered last year after they came to a settlement over Gulf War-era debts, and by a series of bilateral visits involving Kuwait’s ruler and Iraq’s prime minister.

In December, Kuwait’s state-run airline dropped legal cases against Iraqi Airways in return for compensation of $500 million.

Although one small private carrier offers direct flights between the two countries, major airlines route through cities such as Dubai even though the nations’ capitals lie just 560 kms (346 miles) apart. Kuwait’s state-run carrier has yet to restart flights to Iraq.