the New Iraqi Airways.” Iraqi Airways’ orders, both in the 1970s and today, included special customer service requirements. In 1975, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ Customer Support organization announced it would place 152 employees in Baghdad under a special support contract with Iraqi Airways. The Iraqis realized that their jump into a big, long-range jet fleet demanded additional management and technical skills, according to Tait. Key areas of support included route and schedule planning, aircraft maintenance programs and the development of systems and procedures. “Our presence in Baghdad was very valuable to the airline in introducing those aircraft successfully,” Tait recalled. “And the people we sent there did an outstanding job.” As part of the new airplane order with Iraqi Airways, Boeing has again committed to help the airline develop the expertise and aviation infrastructure it will need for the future, Galvanin said. This will include business planning and assisting the Iraqis to improve their airports and air traffic control systems. Iraqi air traffic controllers have traveled to Florida to receive training provided through Jeppesen Academy, a service of Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen. Iraqi Airways personnel also receive pilot and maintenance training at Boeing Flight Services campuses in London and Seattle. As Iraq rebuilds its commercial airplane fleet, it’s been opening up the country to foreign airlines. The plan, over time, is to develop bilateral agreements with other nations that will open the door to Iraqi Airways serving more international routes, Galvanin said. In fact, Iraqi Airways recently received permission to fly into London Gatwick and to Frankfurt, Germany. It is exploring options for resuming flights to Beijing and opening up other cities in the Asian market. The airline is also working with the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on possibly starting nonstop flights to the United States using their long-range Boeing 777. The first of the airline’s 787-8 Dreamliners won’t arrive for a number of years. To build service in the near term, Iraqi Airways has purchased some immediately available new airplanes from both Boeing and Airbus. “They’ve got a lot of work ahead of them and a lot of rebuilding to do,” Galvanin said. “But their people are very resilient and they keep forging ahead.” n william.j.seil@boeing.com BOEING FRONTIERS / SEPTEMBER 2013 31 “Overall, they’re establishing a fresh, modern brand with some traditional features.” – Don Galvanin, sales director, Middle East, Central Asia and Ukraine for Boeing Commercial Airplanes PHOTOS: (Opposite page, from top) In the 1970s, Boeing built this special self-loader for Iraqi Airways’ 747-200C (Convertible) jetliners. Boeing Archives Iraqi Airways’ 737-800 cabin design incorporates laminates and scenes that reflect the region’s Mesopotamian- Babylonian heritage, including (top) the ancient hanging gardens of Babylon and (bottom) an Assyrian bull harp. marian lockhart /boeing (This page, from top) Boeing ground-crew in Seattle stand by to launch Iraqi Airways’ first 737-800 on its delivery flight to Baghdad. The colors and motifs of Iraqi Airways’ new livery pay homage to its 1970s Boeing fleet. marian lockhart /boeing
Frontiers September 2013 Issue
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