After an amazing week in Iraq, I was off to Cairo via Iraqi Airways. Iraqi Airways is an elusive airline. Iraqi Airways does not sell tickets via most GDS nor shares flight information. Despite these challenges, I was able to book myself on a direct flight from Basra to Cairo in March of 2022. It did help to have a direct contact in Iraq who was able to help us book the flights. Flying out of Iraq is its own adventure with extra security and several check points.
Iraq airports are very secure. You can't just drive to the airport. It takes an entire process to get into the airport. There are several security checks to get to the airport. The driver couldn't drive us to the airport. We were pointed towards a parking lot at the first security check. The lot is close to the airport.
We had to use an airport approve driver and taxi in the general parking lot. The ride cost $5 a person.
We were able to go through the first check point once in the approved car. We had to get out of the car and go through standard airport security. The airport is still at least a mile away.
We reloaded the vehicle after clearing security. Heading closer to the airport, we were clear to continue. We arrived at the airport in a few minutes.
We had to clear another security check with our luggage to get to the check in counter. The airport had amazing traditional Islamic architecture.
We gave the attendants our negative tests and they were able to check us in. After clearing security.
At check in, there was no line. The process was very quick because of this. The agents were friendly and spoke English.
We had to go through another security check after check in. I thought this would be the last one. It wasn't my surprise. The bottle of my cologne was seized. I was not allowed to carry it in my carryon because it was less than three ounces. The reason is glass. Glass is not allowed on flights. It could be used as a weapon.
We were in the gate area after the check point. The gate area had a coffee shop and gift shop in a large room. Three americanos, chips, and a soda cost over 20 usd. The area had a lot of seats, but not many charging ports. There is also a lounge. We did not have access to the lounge as we were flying economy.
We went through another security check when it was close to boarding time. This was the fourth security check.
We found ourselves in another waiting area after the final security check. It was very basic. We only sat here for 15 minutes. It was time to board the plane.
The bus took us to the airport. There was a flight on the tarmac. We walked down the stairs and waited on the tarmac for the bus.
It was time to fly Iraqi Airways after a short bus ride. The flight was on a 10 year old plane. The majority of the Iraqi fleet is shiny and new.
The A320 only had an economy class seat. The color tones were not welcoming. There is no power on this plane. I was happy to fly and I felt that flying Iraqi Airways was a unique opportunity.
The purser welcomed several people on board before taking off. He spoke Arabic and English. All announcements were made in both languages.
The gentleman pictured above and another female flight attendant did not work after takeoff. Two younger male flight attendants did the cabin service. The younger flight attendants gave the passengers a bottle of water. A hot meal service was provided.
There was no option of chicken or beef, but instead just chicken. The hot meal came outside of the box which had additional goodies.
There was a bar and fruit inside the box. To save space, I put my curry chicken inside the box.
The meal was good. I would expect the same from a North American airline in business class. The two flight attendants returned with coffee and tea for the passengers. The other two were talking.
It was an experience to fly Iraqi airways. The plane was mostly empty and the service was great. I moved to an Exit row after sitting next to a stranger. My friend was able to stretch out after taking the other exit row.
Two flight attendants were having fun. They were interactive and their English was good. They joked that they were going to be famous when I told them I was a writer. Who reads this?
The other passengers were the only part of the flight that made me scratch my head. I have seen this in other places, but Iraq took it to a new level. Half of the plane stood up. People were still in the aisle after several announcements.
We were able to board our buses without any delays after we made it to our remote stand.
The flight took just 3 hours. I was impressed with Iraqi Airways. There was a meal in the economy. The luck of the draw was that the plane was old. I would recommend Iraqi Airways to anyone going to Iraq. Iraq is veryunderappreciated. More of that will come in a future post, but for now, here is how to get a visa to Iraq.
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