Iraq

Iraqi Airways was established as a joint government-British venture; it began flights in 1946 on a Baghdad–Basra–Kuwait route using de Havilland Dove aircraft, later becoming fully state-owned.

Through the 1960s-70s oil-boom era, Iraqi Airways modernized with Boeing 707s, 727s and later 747s, building a route network spanning Europe, Asia and the Middle East from Baghdad.

Iraq's invasion of Kuwait triggered UN Security Council sanctions, including a flight ban, that grounded most of Iraqi Airways' international operations for over a decade and led to a long legal dispute with Kuwait Airways over aircraft caught up in the conflict.

The 2003 invasion caused further losses and disruption to Iraqi Airways' fleet and to Baghdad International Airport, setting back the airline's recovery by several more years.

Iraqi Airways gradually restarted domestic and then international flights, rebuilding routes to regional Middle Eastern and, later, European and Asian destinations.

Iraq reached a compensation settlement with Kuwait over aircraft seized during the 1990 invasion, resolving litigation that had encumbered Iraqi Airways assets abroad for more than two decades.

Iraqi Airways placed orders for new Boeing 737 and other narrow-body aircraft as part of an ongoing effort to modernize its aging fleet and rebuild passenger confidence.

Iraqi carriers, including Iraqi Airways, were placed under an EU restriction over safety-oversight concerns; as of the mid-2020s Iraq continues working to meet ICAO/EU safety benchmarks to have the restriction lifted — a status that remains actively evolving.