US embassy cable - 03AMMAN5889

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 005889 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, ETTC, IZ, JO 
SUBJECT: CURRENT STATUS OF IRAQI AIRCRAFT IN JORDAN 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY: CPA officials have informally sought 
Embassy Amman's assistance in determining the status and 
timely return to Iraqi government control of seven airplanes 
of probable Iraqi government ownership currently known to be 
located in Jordan.  Post was able to take a close look at six 
of the airplanes, Iraqi Airways jets parked in Amman since 
1991, and found them in varying states of repair.  Their 
disposition raises financial, legal, and practical issues on 
which Embassy would appreciate Washington guidance.  End 
Summary. 
 
2.  (SBU)  Of the seven aircraft, six Iraqi Airways craft 
have remained at Queen Alia International Airport near Amman 
since their last flights in 1991-1992 and have received 
little/no maintenance since 1999.  They are in various stages 
of repair, but there seems to be no dispute as to their 
ownership.  An informal assessment by TDY military personnel 
(text below) found that one of these airplanes could probably 
be flown out with relatively minimal further maintenance, and 
others could potentially be flown out with moderate further 
maintenance.  In addition to the practical airworthiness 
questions, Jordanian officials are likely to raise questions 
about the legal status of the aircraft under post-1991 
sanctions against Iraq and UNSCR 1483 before allowing their 
return to Iraq or sale on behalf of Iraq.  In addition, the 
GOJ has incurred demurrage and other costs after a decade of 
airport parking for which it may seek compensation.  (Post is 
seeking information on the accumulated amount of such 
charges.) 
 
3.  (SBU)  The seventh airplane, a Dassault Falcon-50 
executive jet (tail number HB-IES), has been impounded at 
Marka Airport in Amman since March 19, 2003.  While it is in 
good repair, the ownership of this airplane is unclear. 
According to Jordanian records, the plane is owned by a Swiss 
company, Aviatrans, and operated by Jet Aviation, also a 
Swiss company.  While they know that the jet was used to 
transport senior Iraqi officials during the 1990s, the 
Jordanians will want to be assured of the Iraqi government's 
rights to the aircraft before releasing it.  Post is in 
process of trying to obtain the serial number of this 
airplane from the Jordan Civil Air Authority (JCAA) and will 
update the Department when the number has been obtained. 
 
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TEXT OF HACC REPORT 
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2. (SBU) On 25 August 2003, LtCol Mareus Richter, a USAF 
maintenance and logistics officer, and Maj Derek Fox, a USAF 
officer working in the Humanitarian Assistance Coordination 
Center)Amman, conducted an initial assessment of the status 
of six Iraqi Airways aircraft located at Queen Alia Airport, 
Jordan.  Their report follows: 
 
3. (SBU) Aircraft were identified by distinctive livery, tail 
registration number and airframe numbers.  They were assessed 
by visual inspection for visible corrosion, structural 
damage, leaks, and missing parts.   A review of flight logs 
was done and application of external power was conducted. 
All aircraft were powered up by Lt Col Richter with spot 
checks of fuel levels, transfer pump operation, instrument 
initialization etc conducted. 
 
4. (SBU) Boeing 707 Cargo, YI AGE, 692917 ) Condition Fair, 
last recorded flight April 1992, last maintenance activity 
1999.  Engines 1, & 2 no visible corrosion, 3 & 4 have 
visible corrosion/perforations, some engine nacelle skin 
corrosion, no visible structural airframe corrosion, 
structural condition of tail assembly unknown, paint peeling 
in places, tires low/flat and cracked, landing gear and 
hydraulic systems had no visible corrosion or damage, 
accumulators still holding pressure, interior serviceable, 
cockpit was serviceable, radar head had been removed, 
batteries on aircraft bad, but disconnected, cargo bay was 
serviceable. Fuel was still present in tanks.  External power 
was applied but there was a problem with a connection in the 
lower bay, which precluded checking any systems. 
 
5. (SBU) Boeing 707 Cargo in PAX configuration, YI AGF, 
?????? (no number plate found) ) Condition poor, last 
recorded flight January 1991, last known maintenance activity 
1999.  All 4 engines have visible corrosion/perforations, 
some engine nacelle skin corrosion, no visible structural 
airframe corrosion, structural condition of tail assembly 
unknown, paint had minor peeling, tires low and cracked, 
landing gear and hydraulic systems no visible corrosion or 
damage, accumulators still holding pressure, batteries on 
aircraft bad, but disconnected, cargo bay was converted to 
PAX configuration, interior dirty but could be made 
serviceable in cargo configuration, cockpit was serviceable, 
radar was present. Fuel was still present in tanks. External 
power was applied, and all systems powered up, fuel transfer 
pumps worked and ILS initialized. 
 
6. (SBU) Boeing 727-270 PAX configuration, YI AGK, 
21197-A3WE)700, Condition good, last recorded flight 
unknown, last known maintenance activity 1999.  Engines 1, 2 
& 3 no visible corrosion, no visible structural airframe 
corrosion, structural condition of upper tail assembly 
unknown, paint good, tires low and showing minor cracking, 
landing gear and hydraulic systems had no visible corrosion 
or damage, accumulators still holding pressure, interior 
serviceable, cockpit was serviceable, batteries on aircraft, 
but disconnected. Fuel was still present in tanks.  External 
power was applied, and all systems powered up, fuel transfer 
pumps worked and ILS initialized. 
 
7. (SBU) Boeing 727-270 PAX configuration, YI AGQ, 
2261-A3WE)700, Condition good, last recorded flight unknown, 
last known maintenance activity 1999.  Engines 1, 2 & 3 no 
visible corrosion, no visible structural airframe corrosion, 
structural condition of upper tail assembly unknown, paint 
good, tires low and showing minor cracking, landing gear and 
hydraulic systems had no visible corrosion or damage, 
accumulators still holding pressure, interior very good, 
cockpit was serviceable, batteries on aircraft, but 
disconnected. Fuel was still present in tanks.  External 
power was applied, and all systems powered up, fuel transfer 
pumps worked and ILS initialized. 
 
8. (SBU) Boeing 727-270 PAX configuration, YI AGL, 
21198-A3WE)700, Condition very good, last recorded flight 
unknown, last known maintenance activity 1999.  Engines 1, 2 
& 3 no visible corrosion, no visible structural airframe 
corrosion, structural condition of upper tail assembly 
unknown, paint good, tires low and showing minor cracking, 
landing gear and hydraulic systems had no visible corrosion 
or damage, accumulators still holding pressure, interior very 
good with large business class style seating in forward 
cabin, cockpit was in good condition, batteries on aircraft, 
but disconnected. Fuel was still present in tanks.  External 
power was applied, and all systems powered up, fuel transfer 
pumps worked and ILS initialized. 
 
9. (SBU) Boeing 727-270 PAX configuration, YI AG?, 
2????-A3WE)700, Saddam,s plane for use by senior officials 
with custom interior.  Condition excellent, last recorded 
flight unknown, last known maintenance activity 1999.  Plane 
was locked and until recently had an Iraqi security guard. 
Plane has very low hours and includes a complete set of 
spares and tools in hold.  A number of weapons were found on 
the plane including AK-47s and pistols.  Engines 1, 2 & 3 no 
visible corrosion, no visible structural airframe corrosion, 
structural condition of upper tail assembly unknown, paint 
very good, tires very good with no wear or cracking, landing 
gear and hydraulic systems had no visible corrosion or 
damage, accumulators still holding pressure, interior good, 
with custom layout.  Large 1st class seats in forward cabin, 
VIP couches in center cabin with wooden coffee tables with 
gold ash trays and drink holders, picture of Saddam, business 
class seating in rear cabin.  Cockpit was like new, batteries 
on aircraft OK, but disconnected. Fuel was still present in 
tanks.  External power was applied, and all systems powered 
up, fuel transfer pumps worked and ILS initialized. 
 
10. (SBU) After physical inspection of the aircraft we sat 
with and discussed their historical maintenance records with 
Mr. Bashir Abdel Hadi, the General Manager of Jordan Aircraft 
Maintenance Ltd (JorAMCo), and Mr. Imad Al Farahid, the Royal 
Jordanian (RJ) Director of line maintenance.  They provided 
us with the following maintenance options available at Queen 
Alia: 
 
11. (U) Service ) 
A - Boeing-led complete physical assessment approx 2000 
man-hours including records/NOTAMS review of mod history, 
bore-scope examination of engines, etc Cost  $120-150K; 
B - Check level $40K (Includes change fluids and lubrication) 
plus parts; 
C - Check level $300K plus parts; 
D - Check level $1.5-2M plus parts (Will result in 
Airworthiness certification); 
Other - Customer specified service available on a per 
man-hour basis plus parts; 
 
Parts ) 
707 engines available for $50K plus installation, 
All other Boeing parts available on order through JorAMCo 
parts service. 
 
12. (SBU) We also discussed service measures required with a 
views towards both making the aircraft meet type FAA 
airworthiness certification for return to full operation, or 
to be serviceable for ferry status to return to BIAP only. 
The consensus of the maintenance staffs was that if return to 
service with Airworthiness certificates was the goal, that 
the assessment should be conducted of all aircraft first, 
except Saddam,s plane (all at meeting considered YIAG? to 
have such low hours and be in good condition that it could go 
straight into B-level  maintenance and then fly to BIAP) and 
then order the appropriate service package as indicated by 
the assessment.  Most likely this will involve D-Level 
service because of the length of time sitting, and the lack 
of knowledge about currency of updates and mods to the 
aircraft, with a cost of $1.5-2M each.  If a ferry status to 
BIAP only was all that was desired then: 
 
A) 707 cargo YIAGE with a C-Level service could be made 
operational by replacement of 2 engines some tires and misc. 
parts taken from the other 707 airframe and signed off for 
ferry flight to BIAP for approx $400K, barring some major 
unforeseen structural damage.  Time required 4 weeks 
 
B) The three 727-270,s could be given a B-level service for 
$40K, plus cost of tires replaced, and misc. parts and signed 
off for a ferry flight for less than approx $100K average 
each. Time required 2 weeks each 
 
C) Saddam,s 727-270 could be given a B-level check and flown 
to BIAP for approx $40K in less than a week. 
 
13.  Maintenance Slots at the service facility are limited as 
business is good.  One slot exists for the 707 in Sept.  No 
slots exist for the 727-270,s until May, except one in 
December, which could be booked soon.  Another option was 
also briefly explored for making plane airworthy to ferry to 
BIAP.   USAF has maintainers for both airframes.  If USAF 
crews were available, could they use the ramp and limited 
facilities for USAF ground maintenance crews to 
inspect/service the aircraft to facilitate moving the 
aircraft back to Iraqi.  Both companies had no problems with 
that if Gov,t of JO approved it. 
 
14. In summary, the aircraft, with the exception of one 707, 
still have some value as commercial aircraft and could be 
returned to airworthiness with a committed expenditure, or 
made flyable and moved to BIAP for future determination of 
use or disposition with a modest expenditure. Either option 
can be done utilizing either local service or by bringing in 
USAF personnel to accomplish them. 
GNEHM