Middle East Tridents Pt2: Iraqi Airways

Despite Kuwait Airways being first to order the Trident 1E it was their neighbouring country Iraq's national airline, Iraqi Airways, which was the first to put it into service, on October 1, 1965. They also received three aircraft and due to the secretive and repressive regime of the Ba'ath party they seem to have led quite leisurely lives. Their final fates seem shrouded in mystery but their hulks may have made it into the early 90s.

Kuwait & Iraqi Airways Trident 1Es

Iraq had been under British control since 1917 and became independent in 1932. The monarchy was overthrown in 1958 in an army led revolution  which itself was overthrown in 1968 by the Ba'ath Party. As with Kuwait Airways the initial fleet of Iraqi Airways, which had been formed in 1945, was typically British. Vickers Viscounts even operated a multi-stop route to London.

The airline's first jets were the Trident 1Es registered YI-AEA-AEC, the last of which arrived in April 1966. The Tridents ranged as far as London and Delhi with the aid of intermediate fuel stops. One of the Iraqi Tridents made what must rank as one of the longest and most unusual Trident flights when it transported the Iraqi delegation to the United Nations in New York. It may be that one of the aircraft was fitted with a VIP interior as by 1970 the Iraqi schedule only shows two aircraft - one with first class and one without. Their utilisation appears to have been very low with only one needed half the week whilst the London flights (four a week) took two days return.

The usage of the Iraqi Tridents appears to have become more and more sporadic during the 1970s. By 1975 there are no Tridents left in the timetable though they may have continued in operation as backups. Interestingly Iraqi Airways actually acquired several Tupolev Tu-124s from Russia in 1974, however the primary replacement for the Tridents was a mix of 727s and 737s. A trio of new 727-200s in 1977 may have been the final end for the British tri-jets.

Iraqi Airways Trident 1E YI-AEC Gemini Jets 1:400 Scale Model Airliner

All three Iraqi aircraft were stored at Baghdad and there were reports of a derelict airframe being used by Republican Guard forces for training prior to the Gulf War, which would be an all too obvious signal of the failure of relations between the two ex-Trident operators. One can hardly feel that the Iraqis made the best use of their Tridents, but nevertheless they did have some of the longer careers of the type even if at the time of their storage they probably had relatively few miles on the clock.

References

Iraqi Airways Tridents. PPruNe Network