Amirah Ibrahim watches the first scheduled flight from Baghdad to land at Cairo Airport in 15 years Amid extensive security, and under media scrutiny, an Iraqi Airways airplane touched down at Cairo airport last Thursday marking the resumption of regular flights to Cairo by Iraq's national carrier for the first time in 15 years. Among the 100 passengers was a delegation of Iraqi businessmen and 20 Iraqi journalists, led by Ahmed Abdul-Wahab, a media adviser at the Iraqi ministry of transport. Civil aviation officials were joined by Iraqi diplomats, including Chargé d'Affaires Saad Orabi, to welcome the arrival. "This plane is proof that Iraq has returned to the international community and is beginning a new era," said Orabi. Bad weather had delayed the plane's take off from Baghdad by nine hours. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa was due to fly to Baghdad on the Iraqi carrier's return but did not due to the delay. Some 47 passengers were on the plane, however, when it returned to Baghdad the following day. Commercial flights to and from Iraq were suspended after UN sanctions were enforced against Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait in 1990. "The resumption of flights reflects the importance of economic and political ties between Egypt and Iraq," said Orabi. Orabi said Iraqi Airways would initially fly twice a week to Cairo, though Egypt's permission had been granted for up to four flights a week. Zeinab Zein Al-Abedin, Iraqi Airways' Cairo manager, said that a third weekly flight might be scheduled after three months should demand necessitate. "The Cairo route is vital to our business. Considering the extent of trade between the two countries in the recent past, and the number of Egyptians employed in Iraq we expect the Cairo operation to grow fast," said Zein Al-Abedin. Zein Al-Abedin continued in her post as Cairo office manager throughout the 15 year-long hiatus in air traffic. In the late 1980s, with more than two million Egyptians working in Iraq, air traffic between the two countries was enormous. The Iraqi carrier operated three flights daily, and even then wide- planes were needed to meet the demand for seats. "For now we are using a Boeing 737-200, an aircraft with a medium capacity, with first and economy classes though we soon hope to expand." Plans, she revealed, already include a scheduled service to Sharm El-Sheikh that should be operational by mid-2006. On Friday Iraqi Airways inaugurated another direct route, this time to Beirut. Flights between Iraq and Lebanon were suspended in 1981, as a result of the Iraq-Iran war. Iraq's national carrier now flies to Syria, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon, and will soon launch a regular service to Iran. The exceptional reception accorded the inaugural flight to Cairo, though, is likely to continue, in one way or another, as each flight lands. "Cairo Airport is always happy to win a new client. But we cannot ignore security concerns, particularly when an airline operates from a troubled airport," said Fathi Fathallah, head of Cairo International Airport Security. Fathallah said that Egyptian and Iraqi security bodies would coordinate closely in order to ensure security on the bi-weekly flights. "We do not have extra security agents aboard our planes," said Zein Al-Abedin, "and we have not met with any troubles at our other destinations so far." EgyptAir has no plans to resume flights to Baghdad in the near future. "It is a question of safety. Baghdad airport is a frequent target for attacks," said Mohamed Munir, EgyptAir vice-president. Munir welcomed Iraqi Airways flights, but indicated that both carriers had yet to negotiate their share of the possible market. "The Baghdad route has great potential in the long run, once stability in Iraq can be guaranteed. We expect the kind of increase in passenger numbers to Baghdad that we saw with Kuwait following its liberation. We used to operate five flights a week but then increased them to 13. If progress can be made on security there is no reason why air transport should not flourish in Iraq and EgyptAir will be part of that growth."
