DOT Grants Applications For Air Service to Iraq
The US
Department of Transportation (DOT) today granted the applications
of three US airlines - World Airways, Northwest Airlines and
Kalitta Air - to provide, subject to further US government
clearances, scheduled air service to Iraq.
The authority granted cannot alone result in new service to
Iraq. It is subject to the carriers' compliance with all applicable
requirements of DOT, the Federal Aviation Administration, the
Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Defense
and other federal agencies. In addition, the Coalition
Provisional Authority in Iraq, in conjunction with DOT, is
currently examining the prospect of restoring safe and secure air
transportation in that country.
Helping Iraq Recover
"Re-establishing air service will help with Iraq's
recovery and assist in its return to the community of nations,"
said US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. "While our
action today is only an initial step to restoring air service, it
is a significant step toward a safe and secure aviation link with
Iraq."
On May 27, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset
Control announced that it had issued a general license authorizing
most of the transactions, including those related to
transportation, that had been prohibited since a 1990 Executive
Order imposing sanctions on Iraq. Following that action, on May 30
DOT lifted its own prohibition on US-Iraq air service, and today's
action constitutes a logical next step in DOT's efforts to
facilitate and promote service restoration.
Service Already Planned
World Airways plans scheduled combination
passenger and cargo service between Washington Dulles Airport and
Baghdad via Geneva. Northwest sought and received authority
to operate scheduled combination service between any US and any
Iraqi city and beyond, with service via Amsterdam.
Northwest may elect to serve Baghdad through a
code share on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Kalitta plans
scheduled all-cargo service between the United States and Iraq and
also plans service to Kuwait and Jordan.
In addition to the authority granted by the
department today, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air
Lines have existing certificate authority to serve Iraq. United has
notified DOT that it plans to place its code on flights to Baghdad
by Lufthansa German Airlines flying from Frankfurt, Germany, and on
those of Austrian Airlines from Vienna.