Iraq's UR Airlines adds first Boeing 737-300

BAGHDAD — Iraq's low-cost carrier UR Airlines has added the first Boeing 737 jet to its fleet doubling the number of aircraft in the fleet.

The 21.4-year-old aircraft with registration YI-BAU is an ex-Air New Zealand Boeing narrowbody jet. The plane was ferried from maintenance at Amman Marka to Baghdad on February 25, 2021. It made its commercial debut on March 11, initially on domestic routes to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, but also international services to Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen and Ankara Esenboga.

UR Airlines also operates a single Boeing 737-400 registered as YI-AQS. The aircraft is exclusively on service between Baghdad and Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen. The Iraqi operator used to wet-lease a Boeing 737-300 from Ukraine's Jonika Airlines for flights to Europe, but it was forced to suspend the wet-lease and, consequently, its flights to Europe after the Ukrainian authorities imposed a blanket ban on ACMI contracts in Iraq.