Holiday in hell? Welcome to your flight to Baghdad

[Anonymous]

From Richard Beeston in Baghdad

TIRED of long waits at packed airline check-in counters? Looking for an exclusive holiday destination with guaranteed sunshine, unique historical sites and plenty of adventure? Iraqi Airways may have just the answer.

Beginning next month, Iraq’s troubled national carrier is planning to resume direct scheduled flights from Baghdad International Airport (formerly Saddam International Airport) to London for the first time in 15 years to lure visitors to one of the few countries in the world that has no tourists.

According to Salam Maliki, the Iraqi Transport Minister, regular flights to Heathrow will start in the next few weeks in an effort to rehabilitate the travel industry and to end the country’s decade and a half of isolation from the rest of the world.

Already half a dozen enterprising charter airlines, with names such as Magic Carpet and Ishtar, operate limited services out of Iraq, mainly to neighbouring capitals.

But such is the demand by Iraqi expatriates returning home, Iraqis escaping the violence here and foreigners coming for work that a regular intercontinental service is now thought viable.

Travel to Iraq is not for the faint-hearted. Even the Tourism Ministry admitted yesterday that there were no foreign tourists in the country.

“We allow Iranian pilgrims to visit the Shia holy sites, but tourists are not allowed here for their own safety,” a spokesman said.

“Next month we hope to provide security so that they can visit Iraq. There is a lot for them to see.”

Certainly on paper Iraq has the potential to be an attractive destination for hardier souls interested in modern and ancient history.

Awaiting them are some of the great sites of antiquity, such as Babylon and Ur, the biblical rivers of the Tigris and the Euphrates and natural wonders such as the marshes of southern Iraq.

Those interested in more recent history can see the ruins of Saddam Hussein’s palaces and the battle-scarred streets of Baghdad and Mosul.

But even before setting foot in Iraq a visitor faces real danger. There is the constant threat of a surface-to-air missile attack on all aircraft flying in Iraqi airspace.

This year an RAF Hercules was shot down north of Baghdad and two years ago a DHL cargo aircraft was hit by a missile and forced to make an emergency landing. To avoid ground fire, flights into Baghdad perform an ear-popping corkscrew dive over the airport before hurtling down the runway for landing.

Once in the terminal building there is a short wait at the visa desk, where foreigners are charged £45 for the privilege of entering Iraq. Duty-free goods are available, although the sale of alcohol was recently banned by the Transport Minister on the grounds that it was un-Islamic.

Baghdad International Airport is probably one of the most heavily defended places on Earth, so secure that it was chosen as the headquarters for the US military in Iraq and the high-security prison where Saddam and his top lieutenants are being held.

But getting from the airport into the city is probably the hairiest part of any trip. The drive down the airport motorway, considered the most dangerous stretch of road in Iraq, is littered with the debris of roadside bombs and destroyed vehicles. US diplomats usually fly into the city by helicopter.

Many Western arrivals into Baghdad, noticeable by their short hair, tattoos and paramilitary clothes, are highly paid security guards. On arrival they are often handed a flak-jacket, helmet and assault rifle and driven off at high speed by colleagues in an armoured convoy.

This is also an option for visitors, who can hire their own security detail, complete with bullet-proof vehicle, medic and armed guards, for the half-hour drive into Baghdad. AKE, a British security company, offers the most competitive rate at about £2,000 one way, roughly double the cost of the return air fare from London.

Alternatively there is the option of taking a humble Iraqi taxi for about £10, but with no guarantees of reaching your destination alive.

Iraqis realise that it will be a long time before their country will be safe enough for ordinary tourists to visit. But they hope that one day the violence will end and foreigners arriving at Baghdad airport will need to be armed only with a camera and guide book.

BACK IN BUSINESS

Airports: Baghdad International, Basra International, Irbil. (Najaf and Sulaimania to open)

Airlines: Iraqi Airways, Ishtar, Royal Jordanian, Tigris, Kurdish-Silver, AirServ, Orbit, Jupiter Emirates, Flying Carpet

Destinations: Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Istanbul, Dubai. (new routes: London, Cairo, Stockholm)

Visa charge: £45

Cost: London-Baghdad return £600 (approx)

Taxi: Local taxi to Baghdad £10. Armed escort to Baghdad £2,000

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/iraq

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