Iraqi Airways takes delivery of its first Airbus A330

First Airbus widebody aircraft to be delivered to Iraq

On behalf of Iraqi Ministry of Transportation, Iraqi Airways, the national carrier of Iraq, has taken delivery of its first A330-200 becoming a new operator for the type. This will be the first Airbus widebody aircraft to be operated by Iraqi Airways. The carrier already operates two A321 aircraft.

Accommodating a two-class configuration of 24 business and 264 economy seats, the aircraft is powered by GE CF6-80 engines and will be deployed on European routes including Germany, Austria and the UK.

“The A330-200 will allow us to grow our international routes while offering high quality of service and flight experience to our increasing number of passengers,” said Captain Saad Mahdi Saeed Al-Khafaji, Iraqi Airways General Manager, “The aircraft will service a number of international routes, namely to Europe, providing passengers a more comfortable journey with spacious seating.”

“We are pleased to welcome Iraqi Airways as a new operator of the A330 family aircraft. Iraq has a big potential and we are seeing more flights being operated to several cities in the country,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “With the A330-200, Iraqi Airways will benefit from the aircraft’s low operating costs, proven reliability and great passenger appeal.”

The A330 is one of the most widely-used widebody aircraft in service today. Airbus has recorded over 1,200 orders for the various versions of the aircraft and more than 900 are in service with 90 operators worldwide today. In addition to passenger and freighter aircraft, the A330 is also available in VIP and military transport / tanker variants.