Iraqi Airways (IA, Baghdad) has taken delivery of its first B787-8, while outlining plans to expand its long-haul network to the east.
YI-ATC (msn 40108) was ferried directly from Charleston International to Baghdad on June 21-22, 2023. The aircraft is configured for up to 266 passengers, including 24 in business class and 242 in economy class.
Director General Manaf Abdel-Monem told the Iraqi News Agency that as the fleet renewal progresses, the carrier will look to add services to Muscat, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, Kuala Lumpur International, and points in China to its network. The ch-aviation schedules module shows the state-owned airline does not currently serve long-haul routes, focusing its international operations in the Middle East, North Africa, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Russia. Its longest scheduled route is from Baghdad to Mumbai International, and its only active widebody - a B777-200(LR) - is currently deployed exclusively on Hajj charters to Jeddah International and Madinah.
YI-ATC is the first of ten B787s due to arrive through the end of 2027 with eight more -8s and a single B787-9. The delivery of the second -8 was originally scheduled for July 2023. The remaining eight will deliver between 2024 and 2026.
Iraqi Airways' previous-generation fleet is highly diversified, ageing, and beset by maintenance issues. It comprises three A320-200s, two A321-200s, one A330-200, one B737-700, fourteen B737-800s, two B747-400s, one B777-200LR, and six CRJ900s, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. As a part of its renewal, the state-owned airline has already added four A220-300s - which are all currently grounded due to engine issues - and four B737-8s. It also has one more A220-300, two B737-8s, ten B737-10s, and the B787s on direct order from Airbus and Boeing. Even as it is taking new aircraft, Iraqi Airways is also working on reactivating its grounded aircraft.
