“They are buying Boeing planes again ... it means they still believe, after all these years, that Boeing products are the best.” – Richard Tait, retired, led the first Boeing sales to Iraqi Airways BEIO NG FRONTEIRS / SEPTEMBER 2013 29 Boeing jetliners are helping rebuild Iraq By Bill Seil The delivery of Iraqi Airways’ first Next-Generation 737-800 last month marked a milestone in the rebirth of Iraq’s commercial aviation industry and the renewal of its 40-year history with Boeing. Iraq is recovering from years of war and turmoil, and an important part of its challenge is rebuilding a commercial airline fleet with new aircraft. “Iraqi Airways is realistic and not looking to compete head to head with the big, established carriers in the region,” said Don Galvanin, sales director, Middle East, Central Asia and Ukraine for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Their goal is to give the Iraqi people the best service they can. And as the national carrier, they also want to fly the flag of their nation and connect with other countries around the world.” And Boeing is there to help in that effort, as it has been in the past. Iraqi Airways placed its first order with Boeing on Oct. 1, 1973, for three 707s and two 737s. That began an ambitious effort on the part of the airline to modernize its fleet with Boeing jetliners. Three more orders followed over the next decade. From 1974 to 1982, 16 Boeing commercial airplanes were delivered to the airline. Prior to that, Iraqi Airways’ fleet consisted mainly of British Tridents and Soviet commercial aircraft. Richard Tait, now retired, negotiated the first sales to Iraqi Airways for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The first two orders, placed in 1973 and 1975, were only for 11 airplanes. But the mix of airplanes was unusual. “Iraqi Airways became the only airline in the world to place into service Boeing 707s, 727s, 737s and 747s all in a space of two years,” Tait said. Today, the airline not only has Next-Generation 737s being delivered, but it has also ordered the 787 Dreamliner. The order for 30 of Boeing’s 737-800 commercial jetliners was announced by the government of Iraq in May 2008. The following year, Iraqi Airways finalized an order for 10 787-8 Dreamliners. In December 2012, it also purchased a Boeing 777-200LR (Longer Range), which the company made available after another airline did not fulfill a previous order. Galvanin said the Iraqis are off to a strong start rebuilding the country’s commercial airline fleet with the delivery of the first of the 737-800s. “The 737 that was delivered in July is a beautiful airplane that we’ve done with some special touches,” Galvanin said. “There are interior laminates that reflect the Mesopotamian-Babylonian era. Overall, they’re establishing a fresh, modern brand with some traditional features.” Boeing and the Teague design consulting firm worked directly with the Iraqis to design the airline’s new livery, which has similarities to its livery style of the 1970s. “It went from a green airplane with some white to a white airplane with that distinctive Iraqi Airways green—but it’s much more stylistic,” Galvanin said. “We kept the original Iraqi Airways falcon on the tail. They’re basically rebranding themselves as PHOTOS: (Left) Iraqi Airways’ new livery retains the airline’s traditional falcon insignia. (Above) The first of 30 Next-Generation 737-800 jetliners ordered by Iraqi Airways leaves Seattle’s Boeing Field for Baghdad last month. Marian Lockhart /Boeing
Frontiers September 2013 Issue
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