# Iraqi Airways Cargo (IATA IA · ICAO IAW · AWB 073)

> Iraqi Airways Cargo is the freight arm of the state-owned Iraqi Airways Company, with IATA code IA and AWB prefix 073. The company is wholly owned by the Republic of Iraq. It operates no freighters of its own and markets belly capacity on its passenger fleet from its Baghdad hub. For forwarders this means capacity into Iraq is belly only, with no proprietary online tracking. The EU operating ban rules out direct services into the Union.

## Quick facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Legal | Iraqi Airways Company |
| IATA | `IA` |
| ICAO | `IAW` |
| AWB prefix | `073` |
| Country | IQ |
| Group | Iraqi Airways Company (staatlicher Betrieb der Republik Irak) |

## Overview

Iraqi Airways Cargo is the freight arm of Iraqi Airways Company, the state-owned national carrier of the Republic of Iraq. It is based on the grounds of Baghdad International Airport (BGW), is wholly owned by the Iraqi state and describes itself on its own website as the second-oldest airline in the Middle East, with 1945 given as the year of foundation.

Operating model: on the available sources, Iraqi Airways does not run freighters of its own. Air cargo travels in the belly holds of the passenger fleet, made up of Airbus A220, A320-family and Boeing 737-family types plus a small number of widebodies. The airline therefore acts purely as a belly capacity marketer. There is no dedicated cargo presence: the official website iraqiairways.com.iq carries neither a cargo section nor air waybill tracking. In practice, booking, acceptance and handling run through general sales agents and ground handlers at the individual stations.

Codes: IATA code IA, ICAO code IAW, AWB prefix 073. The hub is Baghdad (BGW). According to the carrier's own booking system the network covers the Iraqi points Erbil, Basra, Najaf, Sulaymaniyah, Kirkuk and Mosul as well as destinations in Turkey, the Gulf states, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China, Azerbaijan, Tunisia and Russia.

The decisive point for forwarders is the European operating ban: Iraqi Airways appears in Annex A of the EU Air Safety List and may therefore not operate to, within or from the Union. The European Commission confirmed the entry in the 48th update of 9 June 2026, listing AOC number 001 and ICAO designator IAW. Traffic to Europe can only be arranged through wet-lease with non-listed operators, through interline or by trucking.

## Hubs

- BGW

## Sources

- [Iraqi Airways Company – offizielle Website](https://iraqiairways.com.iq/)

- [Europäische Kommission – EU Air Safety List, Anhang A (Stand 09.06.2026)](https://transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/3195fabb-7575-4db9-85b9-ec5a77b481aa_en?filename=air-safety-list.pdf)

- [Worldwide Flight Services – Cargo Customers List CPH (Stand 05.07.2025)](https://www.wfs.aero/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Overview-Airlines-handled-3.pdf)

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*Freight Academy — Airline Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airlines/iraqi-airways-cargo](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airlines/iraqi-airways-cargo)*

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