Iraq Passenger Flights Defy No-Fly Zones

B A G H D A D, Iraq, Nov. 5 -- Iraq sent domestic passenger flightscarrying 154 people into skies patrolled by U.S. and Britishwarplanes today, the first challenge of its kind to the no-flyzones that Iraq considers infringements on its sovereignty.

Two planes left Baghdad at 1 p.m. local time bound for Basra in thesouthern no-fly zone and Mosul in the northern zone, the officialIraqi News Agency reported. They returned safely to Baghdad aboutfour hours later, the agency said.

Resumption of Service

Iraq, which says the flights mark the resumption of regularpassenger service to the cities, used Russian-made military cargoplanes for the flights — an Antonov with 42 passengers to Mosul andan Ilyushin with 114 passengers to Basra.

The resumption of the flights, which Iraq announced on Oct. 30,came nearly a decade after Iraq’s fleet of 15 Boeing airliners wasmoved to Jordan, Iran and Tunisia to escape bombing during the 1991Gulf War. They remain abroad.

Passengers aboard the inaugural flights included officials andjournalists who returned with the planes to Baghdad. Thousands ofpeople had gathered to welcome the planes on arrival in Basra andMosul, according to INA.

Transport Minister Ahmed Murtada Ahmed Khalil said flights willtake off daily to the two cities.

U.S.: Violations Since 1998

The United States says Iraqi military planes have violated thezones often with quick in-and-out forays since December 1998, whenIraq began challenging the patrols. The new challenges — though inmilitary aircraft — marked the first civilian flights into thezone.

The U.S.-British patrols bar fixed-wing Iraqi aircraft orhelicopters from entering the zones, but there was no word today on whether Iraq had given Britain and the United Statesadvance notice of the domestic flights.

“We will continue to monitor closely any Iraqi aviation todetermine whether it poses a threat to our forces, Iraq’s neighborsor the Iraqi people,” a U.S. State Department official saidspeaking on condition of anonymity. “We reiterate that the Iraqisshould notify the U.N. of all civilian flight schedules and routesno less than 48 hours in advance of each flight.”