only in first and business.

none of the fleet has economy ptv’s.

my final and fave pic.

these are my personal faves.
nice pics A330.

absolutely not.

Iraq is a designated no fly zone. the airspace over Iraq is controlled by military atm.

no commercial flights are permitted within that area, hence the routes to the nrth or to the sth of Iraq.

sorry, just reading this now

you will find most flights out of HKG are routed through China and Russia, SIN atm is utilising airpspace to the Sth of Iraq or to the nrth in the case of the Sin-Cph service.

flying over Saudia Arabia enroute to EU, I know SIA does fly over Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan enroute to and from EU. From KUL it would pretty much take the same airways as SIA. some are flying to the nrth or Sth of Iraq, this is dependant on the destination.

Thai has Five alternative routes are as follows

1st: Across Black Sea to Europe
2nd: Across Iran to Europe
3rd: Southern route, across Persian Gulf to Europe
4th: Northern route, across Kunming via western China to Europe
5th: Northern route, across Chengdu via western China to Europe

I dont know of SIA’s procedure of flying over Iraq. was it over sthn or nrth Iraq? was it over the no fly zone for Iraqi military a/c? i flew with them from FRA-SIN not to long ago and we went to the sth of Iraq, over Iran, India, Andaman Sea and Thailand into Sin.

SIA is going via
the most direct route to Europe, north of the conflict zone, in which case flight times will not be affected significantly. or a path that will avoid the conflict zone, through Afghanistan and then north of Turkey.

no problem at EK, we fly along the malay peninsula, sthn India and the persian gulf into DXB

this is the latest NOTAM eff Apr 17 2003
IRAQ

Special Federal Aviation Regulation No. 61-2 Prohibition Against Certain Flights Between the United States and Iraq.

1. Applicability. This Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR No. 61-2) applies to all aircraft operations originating from landing in, or overflying the territory of the United States.

2. Special flight restrictions. Except as provided in paragraphs 3 and 4 of this SFAR No. 61-2:

(a) No person shall operate an aircraft on a flight to any point in Iraq, or to any intermediate point on a flight where the ultimate destination is any point in Iraq or that includes a landing at any point in Iraq in its intended itinerary, from any point in the United States.

(b) No person shall operate an aircraft on a flight to any point in the United States from any point in Iraq, or from any intermediate point on a flight where the origin is in Iraq, or from any point on a flight which includes a departure from any point in Iraq in its intended itinerary.

(c) No person shall operate an aircraft over the territory of the United States if that aircraft’s flight itinerary includes any landing at or departure from any point in Iraq.

3. Permitted operations. This SFAR shall not prohibit the flight operations between the United States and Iraq described in section 2 of this SFAR by an aircraft authorized to conduct such operations by the United States Government in consultation with the committee established by UN Security Council Resolution 661 (1990), and in accordance with UN Security, Council Resolution 666 (1990).

4. Emergency situations. In an emergency that requires immediate decision and action for the safety of the flight, the pilot in command of an aircraft may deviate from this SFAR to the extent required by that emergency. Except for U.S. Air carriers and commercial operators that are subject to the requirements of 14 CFR 121.557, 121.559, or requirements of 14 CFR 121.557, 121.559, or 135.19, each person who deviates from this rule shall, within ten (10) days of the deviation, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, submit to the nearest FAA Flight Standards District Office a complete report of the operations or the aircraft involved in the deviation, including a description of the deviation and the reasons therefor.

5. Duration. This SFAR No. 61-2 shall remain in effect until further notice. (FAA/AIA-100 5/14/02)

IRAQ

Special Federal Aviation Regulation No. 77 – Prohibition Against Certain Flights Within the Territory and Airspace of Iraq.

1. Applicability. This rule applies to the following persons:

(a) All U.S. air carriers and commercial operators.

(b) All persons exercising the privileges of an airman certificate issued by the FAA except such persons operating U.S.-registered aircraft for a foreign air carrier.

(c) All operators of aircraft registered in the United States except where the operator of such aircraft is a foreign air carrier.

2. Flight prohibition. Except as provided in paragraphs 3 and 4 of this SFAR, no person described in paragraph 1 may conduct flight operations over or within the territory and airspace of Iraq.

3. Permitted operations. This SFAR does not prohibit persons described in paragraph 1 from conducting flight operations over or within the territory and airspace of Iraq where such operations are authorized either by exemption issued by the Administrator or by another agency of the United States Government.

4. Emergency situations. In an emergency that requires immediate decision and action for the safety of the flight, the pilot in command of an aircraft may deviate from this SFAR to the extent required by that emergency. Except for U.S. air carriers and commercial operators that are subject to the requirements of 14 CFR parts 119, 121, or 135, each person who deviates from this rule shall, within ten (10) days of the deviation, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, submit to the nearest FAA Flight Standards District Office a complete report of the operations of the aircraft involved in the deviation, including a description of the deviation and the reasons therefore.

5. Expiration. This Special Federal Aviation Regulation will remain in effect until further notice. (FAA/AIA-100 5/14/02)

here js an interesting article.

Ex-Cheney firm gets Iraqi fire job

AFP – The US army has awarded the main Iraqi oilwell firefighting contract to a division of Halliburton Co., once run by Vice-President **** Cheney, the Pentagon said.

Kellogg, Brown and Root – was given the contract by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Defence said in a statement.

Halliburton was run by Cheney for five years until 2000.

The Army Corps of Engineers was put in charge of executing a contingency plan to extinguish the oil well fires and assess the damage to facilities during the war, the department said.

“To carry out this mission, the Corps will rely in large part on contractors with the needed expertise and specialised resources,” the Department of Defence said.

“In the initial phase, the Corps’ prime contractor will be Kellogg, Brown and Root, of Houston, which prepared the contingency plans for the government,” it said.

The price of the contract was not immediately available.

Oil well fighter Boots and Coots International Well Control Inc. announced it had been subcontracted by Kellogg, Brown and Root to help extinguish the oil well fires.

“We have surveyed these wells and are preparing to mobilise the equipment,” Boots and Coots president Brian Krause said in a statement.

“We will begin stabilisation of the wells once the location around the wells is secure,” he said.

Boots and Coots was brought into Kuwait in 1991 to control about 240 of more than 700 burning wells following the Gulf War, it said.

©AAP 2003