March 21- Iraq's Transport Ministry is eagerly awaiting the delivery of new Boeing aircrafts since it is looking to expand the country’s national airline, Iraqi Airways, said the Minister of Transport, Amer Abdul-Jabbar on Saturday.
At the moment, the airline has four rapidly ageing planes along with several leased airplanes. Jabbar said his ministry is hoping to get the first deliveries this year on an order for a fleet of 55 new Boeing 737s, 777s and 787s that aren’t due till 2013. "I believe 55 new planes are good to meet the needs of Iraqi Airways till 2020, since we are expecting to be more open to the world," he said.
Iraq had just six international routes a little over a year ago. These included Amman, Damascus, Beirut, Dubai, Tehran and Cairo. Today, however, it has opened routes to Turkey, Germany, Greece, Austria, Denmark, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Pakistan. The country has also signed an agreement to open a route to the UK in the near future, along with a memorandum of understanding for routes into the United States.
Formerly known as the Aquarium of Discovery, the Southern Encounter Aquarium is a walk through of tanks of aquarium with rare fishes and sea creatures. Documentaries and films are aired for viewers to educate them about sea and bird life. The attraction offers various things to do including watching feeding time at the aquarium, see fly-tying demonstrations, getting your hands wet in touch tank an...
The Male Fish Market is one of the most fascinating tourist destinations in Male. It is located along the beach front, to the west of the Republic Square. This area is the centre of all trading activity and is full of hustle and bustle throughout the day. The waterfront and the connecting streets in the area are swarming with shops stocked with a variety of local goods. You will see some dhonis ar...
Former imperial hunting grounds for the royal family. Contains a large amusement park, known as the Volksprater ("People's Prater"), believed to be the oldest "modern" amusement park in the world, which has the much famed giant Ferris wheel ('Riesenrad'). Public entry into the Prater is free of cost while the costs of individual attractions vary from 1 euro to 10 euro. Lar...
This is a very interesting museum. It houses various exhibits pertaining to Thailand's most prized animals, elephants. The museum displays shed light on the significance of elephants in Thai culture and society as well as the importance that is ascribed to white elephants which are all deemed royal property and kept in stables built in Dusit Palace. Timings: Daily 9:30 A.M- 4 P...