Iraq suspends Airbus A220 airplanes
The first Airbus A220-300 Iraqi Airways received. Photo: Airbus corporation
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) ordered the suspension of the Airbus A220 airplane used by Iraqi Airways because of a defect in its engines, according to a statement issued by the ICAA.
The statement indicated that the decision was made to ensure the safety of passengers and air traffic after technical indicators revealed that last April an engine of one of the airplanes had damaged parts that affected an engine fan while the airplane was landing at Baghdad International Airport.
This accident was followed two days later by another where an Iraqi Airways Airbus A220 plane suffered the same damage to one of the engines while flying to Tunisia, the statement explained.
The ICAA emphasized that these indicators require appropriate and prompt action to be taken to guarantee the safety of passengers, aircrew, and airplanes from any other consequences.
Many airlines that use the same type of A220 engines faced the same technical problems in their engines, and those companies decided to suspend flying the airplane. These companies include Swiss International Airlines, EgyptAir, and others.
Iraqi Airways started last January operating flights using Airbus A220 airplanes to Europe and North Africa.
The Director of Modern Aircraft Projects in Iraqi Airways, Farazdaq Adnan, explained at that time that the Airbus A220 will save the Iraqi government a lot of money as its fuel consumption rate is low compared to similar airplanes.
The third Airbus A220 arrived at Baghdad International Airport last January to join the Iraqi Airways fleet, with two more airplanes of the same type scheduled to arrive in Iraq.
In February 2022, the Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced the arrival of the second Airbus A220 at Baghdad International Airport, while the first plane of the same model arrived in October 2021.
Airbus Corporation announced in January 2022 that Iraqi Airways has taken delivery of its first out of five A220-300 aircraft from Mirabel, Canada.
Upon entry into service, Iraqi Airways will become one of the first airlines to operate the A220 in the Middle East region, Airbus Corporation mentioned.