Numbers, Iraqi Airlines revenues and aircraft returning to service

INA - BAGHDAD

The Ministry of Transport - MOT announced on Saturday the airline revenues and number of aircraft returned to service.

"MOT and its formations are exposed to misleading media attacks from parties and media outlets; with the aim of blackmail and obstructing efforts aimed at improving the level of services and advancing the tasks undertaken by the formations," said the Director of Media and Government Communication, Maitham Al-Safi, a statement - received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA.

Al-Safi explained that "these parties claim that there is a frightening decline in the work of Iraqi Airways; to hide what the company achieved last August in terms of the number of flights, which reached 2372 flights. This has not been achieved for decades, as there is a noticeable progress in the number of flights from 22 flights to 60 flights, which is nearly double."

"There is no decline in the work of the airlines; as the company - since the government assumed its duties - had revenues estimated at 7 billion Iraqi dinars, but now they reach 54 billion Iraqi dinars," the ministry confirmed.

Regarding the idle aircraft file, the statement included, "We must point out that there were 24 idle aircraft, 12 of which were returned during 2023-2024, as part of a plan directly supervised by the Minister, and three more aircraft will be returned before the end of this year so that the number of aircraft returned to service will be 15 aircraft out of 24 aircraft. We plan to return 5 aircraft during the next year, and the remaining aircraft were evaluated as being devoid of economic feasibility, meaning that the idle aircraft file will be resolved next year." 

"There are attempts to create a chaotic atmosphere aimed at thwarting the ministry and its formations which will not hinder the wheel of our progress and our work to complete strategic projects. We also warn that we have diagnosed all parties, pages and channels targeting the ministry. We will have legal action to confront these misleading campaigns," concluded the statement.