"Missile attack at Baghdad airport downs air travel hopes"

Sunday, September 7, 2003

Missile attack at Baghdad airport downs air travel hopes
Agence France-Presse


BAGHDAD, (AFP) - Two missiles fired at a US military transport plane
Saturday provided a new reminder of the hazards plaguing air travel in
post-war Iraq which have kept the country's two main airports shut to
commercial traffic.

The two surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) were fired at a US C-141 transport
plane as it was taking off from Baghdad airport, but missed. 

A source at the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) said it was the fifth
attack at Baghdad airport since US President George W. Bush declared an end
to major combat operations on May 1. 

The SAMS were launched just hours before US Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld departed from the airport at the end of a three-day visit and his
aide, Lawrence DiRita, said the missiles detonated before reaching the
plane. 

CPA spokesman James Smith said only the military, the United Nations and
non-governmental organizations were authorized to use Baghdad airport,
adding that there had been no change to security in the area. 

"There are threat assessment reports which are ongoing," he said. 

US military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel George Krivo said the distance from
where the missiles were fired and the height of the plane at that time meant
the aircraft was never in danger. 

"These are unaimed shots which are not putting aircraft in danger and you
have to take that into account," he told reporters. "We're going to make
sure everyone is safe. 

"This is not the first time such weapons have been fired." 

A spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the
Red Cross was conducting its own flights in and out of Baghdad on a
case-by-case basis and had never been fired upon. 

"It's for Red Cross staff and supplies only. Sometimes it's twice a week and
sometimes it's once a week, it depends on need," he said. "We are very
cautious, and the coalition is responsible for ensuring security." 

He said flights in were considered safer than the arduous 700-kilometer
(420-mile) drive from the Jordanian border to Baghdad which has earned a
notorious reputation for banditry. 

"As far as we know it is safe for us," he said. 

However, the ICRC, whose mandate includes accessing the most dangerous
countries on earth, concedes its criteria for safety are much wider than
standards laid down for commercial airline travel. 

No commercial airlines fly to Iraq. 

Six international airlines -- Emirates, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Royal
Jordanian, LOT Polish Airlines and Scandinavian airline SAS -- have been
given the all-clear to operate out of Basra airport. 

But reopening the airport in the southern port town has faced constant
delays due to continued security risks. 

The situation in Basra, which is under the control of the British military,
is much more stable than Baghdad, where US troops have come under daily
attack. 

This prompted one British official to announce that Basra airport would be
first to open. 

"I expect there will be a decision on whether or not to open the airport at
the end of this month," a British military spokesman said from Basra. "But
this will depend on a whole range of reasons, including -- obviously --
security." 

However, the continued use of runways and other facilities by the British
and US armies has also been blamed for repeated postponements of opening
terminals at Baghdad and Basra.


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