Iraqi airways and the Trident

[tubby linton]

I believe Iraqi Airways took delivery of three Tridents ,but I wondered what happened to them after they were withdrawn?

[N707ZS]

Think one ended up at Prestwick.

[WHBM]

No record of any returning to Prestwick.

All three of YI-AEA/B/C, delivered 1965-6, were withdrawn in 1977 after delivery of three 727-200s, were seen shortly afterwards derelict at Baghdad, and then disappeared from view. One or more said to have been used by the military for training, so fate probably lost to secrecy. Looking at the Iraqi AW timetables of the time, they don't seem to have had a chance to accumulate a lot of hours.

Someone on here a while ago wrote they once saw one come in to JFK with an Iraqi delegation to the UN. It must have been one of very few Tridents to cross the Atlantic. Possibly one of the three had a VIP interior.

[tubby linton]

I have read of a BBC news report broadcast just before the invasion of Iraq that one was seen being used by the Revolutionary Guard for some sort of training.

[WHBM]

Glance at an Iraqi AW timetable from 1975 shows no Trident schedules left, even before the 727 deliveries, they have been replaced by a combination of 707s and 737s the airline had delivered in 1974. Certainly as late as 1970 (another timetable) Iraqi was only running Tridents and Vickers Viscount 700s, but they went for a sudden and total fleet replacement. The Tridents ranged as far as London and Delhi with a range of intermediate stops.

[tonytales]

I saw that Trident at KJFK but cannot give a year except it had to be prior to 1977. I was driving on the service road near the inner perimeter taxiway when I saw a B727 on the outer going the other way. I noticed Arabic writing and then did a double-take as I spotted the bullet on top of the vertical fin and then the offset nose gear. Sometimes you see only what you expect and that is why my first thought was B727. Only other time I had seen them was on my European trips. I was with Eastern Air Lines then and we didn't get to service the Trident. Did work on the Hermes V many years before though when one came to the KIDL.

[olympus]

Flew Baghdad-Beirut in an Iraqi Trident around 1972/3 and only remember it because I lost a silver Cross pen which slipped out of my jacket pocket whilst it was on the overhead rack (no lockers on that aircraft).

[Croqueteer]

Alidair had two ex Iraqi Viscount which I flew, and were at one point considering buying the Tridents.

[Liffy 1M]

I remember after the invasion of Iraq that a photo appeared of a derelict Trident. It may have been one of those photos taken by soldiers but which wasn't captioned as to what type the aircraft was.

[WHBM]

Had a look again at that 1970 Iraqi timetable, they scheduled two Tridents, one with first class and one which was all-economy. Pretty lax utilisation, for half the week only one Trident was required and there were significant periods where all aircraft would be back at Baghdad. The London flights (four a week) were two day leisurely affairs, hopping across the Near East and Europe one day, overnighting at Heathrow and returning the next. The Viscounts were the same, just one needed for much of the week, a second one needed only for a few hours on three days.

[parabellum]

Iraq also had quite a substantial fleet of Russian aircraft which were still flying in the mid eighties.

[the just]

IA Trident was still in service in 1980

I flew it BGW - CAI in 1980, but have to say that the usual aircraft for this route was the B707 or B727 depending on passenger capacity (most of them were Egyptian labourers, farmers going back home to CAI with their savings, radios, VHS videos . I remember them taking a queue next to my seat for me to fill out the customs forms for them as most of them were illiterate.

[Wycombe]

Iraq also had quite a substantial fleet of Russian aircraft which were still flying in the mid eighties

Indeed so, the Iraqi IL76's were regulars in the cargo area at LHR.