Iraqi Airways has taken delivery of its third Airbus A220. The A220-300 touched down in Baghdad after a two-day journey from Airbus' delivery center in Mirabel. Iraqi Airways has placed an order for five of the next-generation regional jet with options for more in the future.

Touch down

According to Airways Mag, Iraqi Airways accepted the third Airbus A220-300 on 30th December. The aircraft, registered YI-ARG, took off from Montreal-Mirabel Airport (YMX) at 20:00 local time on 14th January for the long flight to Baghdad Airport (BGW). The plane's first, and only stop, was Oslo Airport (OSL), a 5,512km journey that it completed nonstop. With a range of 6,297km, a nonstop flight wasn't possible, but even a transatlantic hop is rare for the regional jet.

After landing at OSL after seven hours at 09:00, the crew spent the day on the ground before departing at 07:52 local time for BGW on 16th January. The aircraft touched down at its new home in Baghdad at 15:11 and has not undertaken any flights since but is likely to do so soon.

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Fleet expanding

Iraqi Airways' first A220, YI-ARE, arrived in November 2021, and YI-ARF touched down just a month later. The pair have been hard at work since then, flying to popular destinations such as Beirut, Amman, Cairo, Antalya, and Istanbul. Configured with 132 seats, 12 in business and 120 in economy, the aircraft is a domestic workhorse too, making daily trips to Erbil, Najaf, Basra, and other destinations.

YI-ARG is likely destined for similar destinations within the Middle East, taking advantage of its exceptional short- and medium-haul economics. Currently, the carrier is banned from flying to the European Union after a 2015 ruling from the body, which is yet to be lifted. While there had been talk of whitelisting the airline last year, lingering safety concerns have kept it out of EU airspace currently.

According to Planespotters.net, Iraqi Airways has a fleet of 34 aircraft, but only 15 are currently active. Nine 737s, two 747s, one 767, one 777, three CRJ900s, and more are currently stuck on the ground. However, much of the modern fleet, including the three A220s, two A320s, one A321, and three CRJ900s, are in active service.

More planes coming

Iraqi Airways' A220s are part of an order for 16 in late 2013, with five firm ones and 11 options. After years of waiting, by which time the project was rebadged from the CS300 to A220-300, deliveries commenced nine years after the deal was struck. With two more aircraft to go, the carrier is waiting for all of its $387 million worth of jets to come before announcing any plans to exercise options.

What do you think about Iraqi Airways' fleet of A220s? Let us know in the comments!

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  Airbus

  Stock Code:

  AIR

  Date Founded:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Lines:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Business Type:

  Planemaker