Aircraft
Iraqi Airways CRJ900s Still in Limbo
The Court of Appeals of Quebec on January 11 summarily dismissed appeals by the state of Iraq and Iraqi Airways in the 20-year-old legal case brought by Ku

The Court of Appeals of Quebec on January 11 summarily dismissed appeals by the state of Iraq and Iraqi Airways in the 20-year-old legal case brought by Kuwait Airways seeking damages for Iraq’s seizure of 10 airplanes and associated spares and records during its 1990 occupation of Kuwait. The case continues to prevent Bombardier from delivering the final six of an order for 10 CRJ900s placed by the government of Iraq in 2008.

Kuwait Airways now holds judgments totaling more than $1.2 billion against Iraqi Airways and $83.5 million against the state of Iraq. Kuwait Airways last year seized Iraqi Airways and state of Iraq interests in an order of new CRJ900s from Bombardier. Representatives of Kuwait Airways refer to the formal contract between the Ministry of Finance of Iraq and Bombardier as a “sham” and contend that the actual contract exists between Iraqi Airways and Bombardier. That fight continues in the Canadian courts.