The Command Post - Iraq - Branson touches down with aid for Iraq

May 02, 2003

Branson touches down with aid for Iraq

Ananova - The first British passenger plane to land in Iraq for 13 years has brought 60 tonnes of vital medical aid to Basra.
The Virgin Atlantic 747 - loaded with incubators, wheelchairs and life-saving drugs worth around Ł2 million - touched down on the deserted runway at Basra International Airport just hours after President George Bush declared that major hostilities were over.

Some aid agencies have struggled to bring supplies into the country, blaming bureaucracy on the borders and warning that it was still too dangerous to operate in the country. But Virgin Atlantic boss Sir Richard Branson said flights might now be the best way to bring much-needed supplies to the war-torn country.

The flight was piloted by an Iraqi-born captain who had not seen his homeland since he fled in the back of a truck in 1981.

Posted By Gabriel Syme (Samizdata) at May 2, 2003 11:04 AM | TrackBack

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Good for Branson. I hope he continues these flights. Maybe the US should think about getting him to fly in aid to Afghanistan too.

Posted by: Iris at May 2, 2003 11:28 AM

Good show, Sir Richard! Leadership by example and not just words!

Posted by: Doug at May 2, 2003 04:15 PM

Notice that Virgin flies Boeing - not the damn French Airbus !!!

Posted by: JohninLondon at May 2, 2003 05:54 PM

whats airbus got to do.. got to do with it..
whats airbus but a second hand airliiiiine...

Posted by: gijoe at May 2, 2003 07:05 PM

Dirty capitalist! He's just doing this to make the UN and other NGOs look bad. What if the Iraqis start to think of capitalism as a good thing?

Posted by: AST at May 2, 2003 11:48 PM

Gotta love those capilalist pigs! Will the world never be safe from their acts of good will?

If its not Boeing, I ain't going! Airbus is second rate.

Posted by: Elvis at May 4, 2003 12:42 AM

Why didn't this get more press? I didn't hear a word about it on the TV news.

Posted by: LT Dan at May 5, 2003 09:10 PM

You would not believe how much daily intel I get that eye witnesses tremendous help to grateful, welcoming Iraqis throughout Iraq. The western media have often preferred to focus only on negative events, or the possibility of negative events, or the speculation that what is now positive could go terribly wrong at any moment...

Posted by: Morning Song at May 6, 2003 12:53 PM