An official at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) expects regular flights between Saudi Arabia and Iraq to resume soon, but said that the issue is subject to mutual diplomatic agreements. The Kingdom broke off air service following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The only current flights from Iraq to Saudi Arabia carry Haj pilgrims every year. News agencies quoted Ayad Katheer Raheem, Iraq's director general of the aviation department, as saying Tuesday that privately-owned Al-Wafeer Airlines will run daily flights. Raheem said the flights would resume “soon”. Capt. Mohammad Jamjoum, GACA's Vice President of Safety and Economic Regulations, told Saudi Gazette, “An old air agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which goes back to the 1950s, has been recently updated. Therefore, GACA okayed the application of Al-Wafeer after reviewing the terms of the updated agreement.” He said that Al-Wafeer Airlines requested a permit to carry pilgrims and Umrah performers from Iraq to Saudi Arabia. Its request met the security, economic and safety requirements. So, it was allowed to operate flights for that specific purpose. Jamjoum said that GACA has not received a similar license request from Saudi Arabian Airlines. “If they make a request, we would surely give them the green light after fulfilling the necessary requirements,” he added. “Ordinary flights may resume in the future, but this depends upon the results of diplomatic talks between the two countries,” he said.
