Iraqi Airways, nearly grounded by decades of mismanagement and economic sanctions under the regime of Saddam Hussein, is back on the runway with a multibillion-dollar order for a fleet of new Boeing passenger planes to service domestic routes and reclaim a share of the increasingly lucrative Middle East market.
The $5.5 billion Boeing deal, with commitments and options for up to 55 new passenger planes, marked one of the largest purchase orders by the Iraqi government since Saddam's ouster in 2003.Airbus SAS, the European manufacturer that surpassed Boeing as the world's largest aircraft manufacturer in 2003, was not invited to bid for the contract. Some in the industry say the omission was not surprising."Not to be too cynical about it, but I do expect there was a connection between the war and the Boeing deal," said Scott Hamilton, an aviation industry consultant in Issaquah, Wash."From a practical standpoint, given France's stand on the war, there was just no way this order was going to go to Airbus," he said.
