See sunny Baghdad! (Air Scotland to begin tourist flights to Baghdad)

FANCY jetting away to Baghdad? No-frills airline Air Scotland wants to fly tourists directly into the Iraqi capital from Stansted Airport.

The company has applied to the Department of Transport for permission to launch its Baghdad service in November, which would be the first direct commercial flights from Britain to Iraq since 1990.

The airline, founded two years ago by Iraqi-born Dhia Al-ani, wants to operate twice a week to Baghdad and once a week to Arbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

It will use either Boeing 757 aircraft, which hold 233 passengers, or Tri-Stars with a capacity for 309. Mr Al-ani, who is based in Scotland and has lived in the UK for 25 years, said: "We hope to be the first to get direct flights to Iraq and beat British Airways to it.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2005/05/11/7ca101df-b860-497e-a518-c29328a41bc3.lpf
-------------------------------------------

I think their tourism industry might not take off easily.

nt

It's cold, rainy, windy and the bars close at 10 o'clock. It beats being beheaded with a rusty knife but not by much.

Edinburgh was one of the nicer cities I've been in.

But it sounds somebody got ahold of some bad hops up there.

It costs $35,000 to take a "secure" taxi from the airport to the city and you stand an excellent chance of being blown up on the way.

:wtf:

as reported earlier here at DU.

The ammo and high explosives are free to all comers, though, apparently... :scared:

The Cambridge Evening News is my local paper..
The things you find on DU,eh?:)

Oh look honey, is that a missile coming at us. Sounds like fun.

I just got an email from my boss asking if I want to work in Iran. It would be offshore or right on the coast, but I'm concerned Israel will start some shit when I'm landside.

Thanks for the great job market situation you've made Chimpy.

That's SOME umbrella policy!

:sarcasm:

wear the latest in kevlar and learn to spend no more than 10 minutes in any one area!!!

up-armored model. The fun begins as soon as you leave the airport! Enjoy the sights and sounds of Baghdad as you take the Freedom Tour. There'll be plenty of time later to relax, during the frequent electicity blackouts. Don't forget to tip your heavily-armed independent contractor bodyguard!

were the first in....but I read a week or so ago that they had suspended flights.

Who knows anymore what the hell is going on, though. Hell, they pardoned Chalabi....

Oh sure. It's what I live for. :sarcasm:

I doubt even they would be half full, but if the airline is going to operate a route that no one wants to fly on, they may as well go with the smaller plane that's cheaper to operate.

Oh, and it's not like this would make much difference, but the airline should remove about fifty seats from the 757's because 233 seats on that thing is sardine can seating. And it won't make much difference if the flights are empty that way, only the ten passengers on the plane get more leg room for what it's worth.

Let's see if those huge planes can take some damage!

And besides, if the plane is fired upon, there's always that upper deck so the passengers can climb to safety.

Thanks for the entertainment:)

but this is ridiculous!

:crazy:
rocknation

If your plane makes it to the ground with very few or no bullet holes, your next flight to Baghdad is free? I am confused.

So how much does a round trip from LAX cost?

I can't imagine there's a long line of carriers trying to be first to get this route.

I read recently that there's a taxi service that charges $35,000 per trip over Route Irish.

...hold an AK-47 and "pretend" to stand gaurd of a real Iraqi police station in the heart of the Sunni Triangle. Or perhaps pretending to drive a truck hauling very flammable petroleum through Mosul is more your cup of tea... all these exciting tours and more available now!

.

when you can just enlist and spend years seeing Baghdad totally free of all costs, minus perhaps the lose of life or limb. lol

The military (Air Force) may not want to deal with contractors anymore - too dangerous, and they aren't military personnel. So this private company will take over the job, under the guise of tourism. They will receive government support. They may hope that Iraqi resistance will not shoot at a civilian airliner, as it is bad propaganda for them. But I don't think this ruse will fool anyone.

There is no way a regular tourist airline could do this - no insurer would touch it for any reasonable amount of money.

I have to say this is one of the most entertaining threads today!

Thanks for the post - I needed my humor dose - it's been a brutal day at the numbers desk :hi:

NO thanks...it would probably be safer to go on an extreme tour into the bowels of the Columbian warlords turf with a DEA jacket on than take a trip to main street Bahgdad.

Gosh the hotel package must be exciting and the tipping point to go for it - incoming RPG's 24/7 or watch any car explode right outside your very own view perfect window...:freak:

They were the first ones to sack Rome and went into battle naked.

"BA ready to start Baghdad flights in two weeks

Andrew Clark
Monday June 30, 2003
The Guardian

British Airways is hoping to resume regular flights to Baghdad on July 15 after a 13-year gap, in the hope of cashing in on demand from construction companies involved in rebuilding Iraq.

The carrier sent a team to the Iraqi capital earlier this month. It concluded the airport was serviceable, with damage patched up following firefights during the war.

However, lingering doubts about security prompted BA to delay its start date from the beginning of July. The new date could be postponed if lawlessness deteriorates to the point where the airline's staff would be at risk.

BA wants to fly a Boeing 767 to Baghdad three times a week. The airline is planning to dust off a 1951 government treaty under which it is Britain's nominated airline to fly between the two countries."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/airlines/story/0,1371,987636,00.html