Iraqi Airways Company is the national airline of the Republic of Iraq. Founded in 1945 and headquartered at Baghdad International Airport, it is one of the oldest state carriers in the Middle East. The airline is held by the Iraqi Ministry of Transport and also carries a public role in the country's external air links and domestic regional transport. Its IATA code is IA, ICAO code IAW, radio call sign IRAQI, and official domain ia.gov.iq.
The network is built on Baghdad International Airport (BGW) as main hub, with domestic and regional bases at Erbil (EBL), Basra (BSR), Sulaymaniyah (ISU) and Najaf (NJF), and services outward to Beirut, Istanbul, Dubai, Tehran, Amman, Damascus, Stockholm and European points including London Gatwick and Manchester. The airline is not a member of any global alliance and its frequent flyer program is SkyMiles. Cargo moves as belly capacity on passenger widebodies and narrowbodies, with limited freighter capability.
Mesopotamia is one of the earliest cradles of civilization, and Baghdad sits deep in West Asia, long a crossroads between the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean and Anatolia. After years of conflict, Iraq entered reconstruction from the second decade of this century. Import demand has grown steadily for power equipment, generation and transmission gear, construction steel, cement and building materials, construction machinery, household and office appliances, and telecom equipment. That demand underpins Iraqi Airways cargo. China is one of the main sources of reconstruction materials and consumer goods for Iraq, and bilateral trade has recovered steadily in recent years.
For Chinese shippers the value of Iraqi Airways lies less in point-to-point flying than in its ground handling and distribution as Iraq's national carrier at Baghdad and at inland gateways. Iraqi Airways publishes no scheduled nonstop service from China, so cargo originating in China first transits a Middle East hub such as Dubai, Doha or Istanbul, connects to Iraqi Airways for Baghdad, and continues on the domestic network to Erbil, Basra, Sulaymaniyah and other cities. Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited acts as the booking window at origin in China and turns these transit routings into stable, bookable products.
Iraqi Airways has renewed its fleet in recent years, taking delivery of Airbus A220-300 and Boeing 737 MAX 8 narrowbodies and ordering Boeing 787 Dreamliners to replace older long-haul widebodies. A younger fleet reduces technical delays and variation in ground handling, which for Chinese exports that depend on reliable connections means more predictable end-to-end transit times.
Iraqi Airways has no publicly listed office of its own in China; contact its local agent or ask Goodhope Freight to coordinate. As a national carrier it runs no separate cargo sales organization in China, so booking, documentation, space confirmation and air waybill issuance are normally handled by a licensed international freight forwarder. Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited acts as the booking window at origin in China and takes on booking instructions, document pre-checks, export consolidation and exception tracking, working regularly with the Iraqi Airways cargo department in Baghdad and with ground agents at the Middle East hubs.
Shippers who want to read Iraqi Airways cargo procedures and document templates directly can find guidance on its website ia.gov.iq. For air waybill issuance, space requests, heavy and oversized surcharges, transit connections and rebooking, submit through Goodhope Freight as the single booking window. This avoids delays caused by differences between Arabic and English document formats and by varying practice at transit hubs. Goodhope Freight runs consolidation warehouses in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, can receive deliveries or arrange pickup for shippers in South China, and moves cargo to the departure hub on scheduled truck services.
The current fleet combines Boeing narrowbodies, Airbus narrowbodies and a small number of long-haul widebodies, covering high-frequency domestic sectors, Middle East regional routes and long-haul European routes. Widebodies carry belly cargo on Baghdad to Europe and long-haul sectors, and narrowbodies serve regional and domestic routes. Cargo characteristics by type are shown in the table.
| Aircraft type | Cargo mode | Main use |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 | Belly cargo on passenger aircraft | Main narrowbody on Baghdad regional and domestic trunk routes, about 16 aircraft |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | Belly cargo on passenger aircraft, new-generation fuel-efficient type | Fleet renewal type replacing older 737s on regional and domestic routes |
| Airbus A220-300 | Belly cargo on passenger aircraft | New-generation narrowbody for high-frequency Middle East routes, five delivered |
| Airbus A320-200 | Belly cargo on passenger aircraft | Belly cargo on short and medium regional routes |
| Airbus A321-200 | Belly cargo on passenger aircraft, higher payload | Supplementary belly capacity on Baghdad to Europe and longer regional routes |
| Airbus A330-200 | Widebody belly cargo | Baghdad to Europe long-haul sectors, higher belly payload per flight |
| Boeing 747-400 / 777-200LR | Widebody belly space plus limited freighter use | Flagship long-haul capacity for high payload and long sectors |
Fleet details are compiled from Iraqi Airways announcements, the Arab Air Carriers Organization member directory and public fleet databases. Numbers in service and configurations change with the season; confirm with the carrier on the day of booking. The fleet in service numbers about 27 aircraft, with Boeing 787 Dreamliners on order being delivered progressively.
The Boeing 737-800 and A220-300 are the mainstay of Iraqi Airways regional flying. Their belly holds take LD3 containers and PMC pallets and handle machinery parts, general merchandise and samples of moderate density. Widebodies such as the A330-200, 747-400 and 777-200LR offer larger lower-deck volume on long sectors and suit palletised Chinese exports and heavier machinery connecting to Baghdad through a Middle East hub. For Chinese shippers the practical difference shows up in the onward distribution beyond Baghdad.
Iraqi Airways publishes no scheduled nonstop service from China and has no scheduled passenger or cargo station of its own in the country. Historically a scheduled route linked Guangzhou and Baghdad in the summer of 2019; no public record shows it running continuously today. Cargo from China therefore moves mainly through Middle East hubs. The table shows Chinese points as currently published. Times are local, schedules change with the season, and confirmation rests with the carrier on the day of booking.
| China cities | Airport code | Current status | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guangzhou | CAN | No published scheduled nonstop service at present | Served Baghdad historically; now connected via Dubai, Doha or Istanbul |
| Beijing | PEK / PKX | No published scheduled nonstop service at present | Transit through a Middle East hub, with domestic consolidation arranged by Goodhope Freight |
| Shanghai | PVG | No published scheduled nonstop service at present | East China cargo departs via Pudong or is consolidated to a South China hub |
| Urumqi | URC | No published scheduled nonstop service at present | Northwest cargo can connect through Central Asian or Middle East routings |
Without nonstop service, the usual practice for Chinese shippers is to consolidate and clear cargo in China, fly it from a South China or East China hub to Dubai (DXB), Doha (DOH) or Istanbul (IST), and connect there to an Iraqi Airways flight to Baghdad. Iraqi Airways operates its own regional flights from Baghdad to Dubai, Istanbul and Doha, which gives the connection space within one carrier. Goodhope Freight matches the transit hub combination to the shipper's transit time and cost requirement.
Transiting a Middle East hub and connecting to the Iraqi Airways network gives Chinese exports access to the whole of Iraq (Baghdad BGW, Erbil EBL, Basra BSR, Sulaymaniyah ISU, Najaf NJF, Mosul MSM) and to neighboring markets (Amman in Jordan, Beirut in Lebanon, Tehran in Iran, Damascus in Syria, Istanbul in Turkey). Power equipment, building materials, construction machinery, home appliances and general merchandise are the main cargo on this lane.
Iraq's postwar reconstruction keeps up long-term demand for heavy project materials and capital goods. Chinese transmission and distribution equipment, generator sets, cable, construction steel, door and window profiles, sanitary ware, lighting and small construction machinery move through Baghdad to rebuilding sites in the center, south and north. The relatively stable business environment in the northern Kurdistan region (Erbil, Sulaymaniyah) has attracted Chinese trading and engineering firms, and cargo consolidated through Erbil has grown year on year.
In the other direction, dates, leather, stone products and samples from Iraq and neighboring markets move back to China on the same lane. Routing via Dubai or Doha also lets a shipper extend cargo to other Middle East gateways under one booking, avoiding the documentation and clearance cost of changing carrier at origin in China. Connecting space must be reserved in advance against flight times and payload; Goodhope Freight can check and hold it.
For heavy bulk cargo without extreme time pressure, sea freight to Umm Qasr followed by truck distribution is another common route. For samples, urgent shipments, spare parts and time-critical orders, the air transit lane remains first choice. Goodhope Freight combines the two according to cargo characteristics so sea and air support each other.
Iraqi Airways offers Chinese shippers three advantages. First, as the national carrier it has priority ground handling rights and local clearance coordination at Baghdad, Erbil and other gateways, so onward distribution after arrival in Iraq is faster than with a foreign carrier operating ad hoc. Second, its domestic and regional network moves cargo from Baghdad to the northern Kurdistan region and to Basra in the south with one transit, sparing shippers the work of organizing second-leg transport in the destination country. Third, transit through Dubai, Doha or Istanbul is flexible, so shippers can pick the hub that best balances rate and transit time.
In trade structure, Chinese exports to Iraq are dominated by machinery and electrical products, building materials and consumer goods, with moderate density and steady volumes that match Iraqi Airways belly capacity. Against a full-container sea cycle of more than 40 days, the air transit lane can compress replenishment to about a week, helping Chinese distributors and project sites in Iraq control inventory and downtime. For Chinese firms building power and infrastructure projects in Iraq, urgent project shipments, equipment spares and camp supplies can be resupplied quickly on this lane.
As a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization, Iraqi Airways works to rate structures and documentation standards compatible with mainstream Middle East hubs, so Chinese cargo transits smoothly at Dubai and Doha. Acting as the booking window, Goodhope Freight combines China-side consolidation, clearance and loading with Middle East transit and Iraqi distribution into one continuous service under a single air waybill, reducing the coordination burden on the shipper.
The standard path for Chinese shippers using the Iraqi Airways network: first, the shipper sends booking instructions to Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited stating the airport of departure (Guangzhou CAN or Shanghai PVG are recommended, or consolidation in Shenzhen followed by truck to the departure hub), the destination station (Baghdad BGW, Erbil EBL or Basra BSR), pieces, weight and dimensions, HS code, and whether the cargo contains batteries, liquids, magnetic material or other restricted components. Second, Goodhope Freight checks bookable space against the Middle East hub connection, files the booking with the carriers involved and obtains space confirmation and the air waybill number. Third, the shipper delivers the cargo to the airport cargo terminal or the designated bonded warehouse before the documentation cut-off and supports screening, palletising and export clearance. Fourth, after departure Goodhope Freight sends the shipper the air waybill copy and transit forecast; on arrival in Baghdad the Iraqi Airways ground agent notifies the consignee to clear and collect.
For regular shippers, Goodhope Freight can total monthly volumes and negotiate contract rates and priority space with the Middle East hubs and the Iraqi Airways cargo department in Baghdad. For ad hoc urgent shipments, emergency space requests and terminal delivery can be completed within hours of the cut-off. Certificates of insurance, certificates of origin, embassy legalization or pre-checks of Iraqi import licenses can be requested at booking and reviewed in advance by the documentation team, avoiding holds at destination caused by incomplete paperwork. On Iraqi import controls and commodity inspection, Goodhope Freight advises the shipper in writing before booking.
Iraqi Airways belly space carries general cargo, express shipments, samples and electronic components. Leather goods, dried and fresh food and building material samples without extreme temperature requirements move in standard belly conditions. For oversized or overweight power equipment, construction machinery and steel structures, actual dimensions and weights must be provided in writing at booking so the carrier can assess loading in the widebody lower deck. Acceptance of dangerous goods, perishables and live animals is subject to the carrier's written confirmation on the day of booking.
For Chinese contractors working in Iraq, Iraqi Airways offers short-term storage and staged distribution at Baghdad and Erbil, so cargo can be delivered in step with site progress. For high-value electronics and equipment, a declared value for carriage surcharge raises the liability limit under the air waybill. On the return leg, belly space can carry dates, leather goods and stone samples under normal temperature conditions, with Goodhope Freight handling import clearance and delivery in China.
Where cargo is depalletised and repalletised at Dubai, Doha or Istanbul, the local ground agent provides short-term storage and handling. Airspace and security conditions in the Middle East can shift, so transit routings and schedules may change at short notice; Goodhope Freight passes such changes to the shipper before booking and before departure. Dangerous goods not reviewed in writing by the carrier must not be loaded.
Public information currently shows no scheduled nonstop service by Iraqi Airways from China. A scheduled Guangzhou to Baghdad route ran in the summer of 2019, but no public record shows continuous operation today. Chinese cargo normally transits a Middle East hub such as Dubai, Doha or Istanbul, connects to an Iraqi Airways flight to Baghdad, then distributes to Erbil, Basra and other domestic cities. Goodhope Freight matches the transit hub combination to transit time and cost and names the connecting carrier on the air waybill.
Chinese exports to Iraq follow two main lines, reconstruction and everyday consumption. Reconstruction covers transmission and distribution equipment, generator sets, cable, construction steel, door and window profiles, sanitary ware, lighting and small construction machinery. Consumption covers phone accessories, small appliances, clothing, footwear, general merchandise and office equipment. Demand for consumer goods and building materials is especially steady in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in the northern Kurdistan region. Whether a specific commodity can be accepted is confirmed at booking against its HS code and composition.
The flight from a South China or East China hub to Dubai, Doha or Istanbul takes about eight to ten hours, the connection usually takes a few hours to half a day, and the leg into Baghdad takes about two to three hours. Air and connection time together usually come to one or two days, and with export clearance, transit handling and Iraqi clearance and collection, door-to-airport time normally falls in the five to eight day range. Against a full-container sea cycle of more than 40 days, the air transit lane compresses transit time markedly and suits samples, urgent shipments and high-value orders.
After arrival in Baghdad, the Iraqi Airways domestic network moves cargo to Erbil, Basra, Sulaymaniyah, Najaf and other cities. For more distant sites and inland points, cargo clears at Baghdad or Erbil and continues by truck. Security conditions in parts of Iraq can shift, so final routing and transit time must be confirmed at booking against the consignee address. Goodhope Freight quotes routing and cost together, based on cargo characteristics and transit requirements.
Shippers should submit booking instructions seven to ten days before the planned departure; Goodhope Freight completes routing checks and quotations within one to two working days. The documentation cut-off is normally 24 to 36 hours before departure, and cargo must be at the airport terminal or the Goodhope Freight bonded warehouse before then. Because a Middle East transit is involved, allow extra lead time and confirm destination import document requirements at booking. For customers with steady monthly volumes, a weekly space allocation can be set up.
Route, schedule, aircraft type and payload information is for business reference. Actual details are subject to official Iraqi Airways announcements and confirmation on the day of booking. Airspace and gateway policies in parts of Iraq change from time to time; the latest carrier and authority notices prevail.
Operations and agency enquiries: Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited, website https://goodhope86.com, email info@goodhope86.com
The Iraqi Airways name, logo and related trademarks belong to Iraqi Airways. Produced by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited to describe cargo services originating in China.