"Iraqis Celebrate First Domestic Flights In Decade Of Sanctions"
 
BASRA (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Iraqis turned out Sunday to greet the first planes, painted in the livery of Iraqi Airways, to make domestic flights since the 1991 Gulf War.

"It's the first time in 10 years that I have seen a plane in the national colors over the skies of Iraq," said Kamal Ali, a 28-year old resident of the southern city of Basra, which lies within a "no-fly" zone imposed by the U.S. and Britain.

A crowd of around 10,000 who flocked to Basra airport for the arrival of the Ilyushin from Baghdad as Iraq re-launched its domestic service, which had been suspended along with overseas flights on the eve of the 1991 war over Kuwait.

Many in the crowd waved portraits of President Saddam Hussein whose air defenses have challenged U.S. and British warplanes patrolling the skies of both southern and northern Iraq for the past two years. "The only things we see over Basra are enemy planes," said another resident, asking not to be named.

The Basra flight, along with a flight from the capital's Saddam International Airport to the northern city of Mosul, was cause for celebration in the country, which has been under sanctions since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. KLM, Lan Chile and Air New Zealand are said to have declared financial support (including aircraft) at an Auckland summit last week for the resusitated Iraqi carrier.

"This flight is a gift from President Saddam Hussein," an airhostess announced on the Russian-built plane, which carried 123 non-paying passengers and crew, including an AFP journalist, to Basra. "The plane flew at 26,000 feet [8,500 meters] and the trip was normal," Captain Sabah al-Duleimi told AFP after the 50-minute journey over a distance of 400 kilometers (250 miles). He voiced confidence in his aircraft, a cargo plane converted to passenger use.

"I care about the security of my passengers," the captain said, adding that the same plane had also been used last year for a Muslim pilgrimage flight to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. "Our staff are trained to ensure these flights go smoothly," added an Iraqi Airways official, Walid Nafaa.

An Antonov plane, also Russian-built, was used for the trip to Mosul and was greeted by the provincial governor and a similar crowd, the official news agency INA said.

Iraqi Airways, which also has six helicopters available, but whose regular fleet has been stranded abroad for the past 10 years, has announced it will provide a daily service on the two routes.