THE UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority director general, Saif al Suwaidi, has declared that the fees the Iraqi government imposes on foreign air cargo are too high and limit the flow of essential goods into the country, The National newspaper reports.

    Mr Al Suwaidi also said that operators asking for permission to fly cargo into Iraq have complained that the government asks them to let Iraqi Airways and RUS Aviation handle their business for them, or impose fees starting from US$20,000 up to US$100,000 a flight to fly directly.

    The director general added that such charges were unjustified and had no obvious reason. He pointed out that he had asked the government to clarify the situation.

    It is worth noting that air cargo had played an important role in providing the poor country with oil and gas equipment, food supplies, humanitarian aid and electronics.

(Source:http://www.schednet.com)