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Horse Travel Company v. Iraqi Airways and Ministry of Transportation of Iraq, Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award, July 24, 2026

24 Jul 2026
Horse Tours and Travel SAE v. Iraqi Airways and Ministry of Transportation of Iraq, Ad hoc
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Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award
Document Details:
LISTED PARTICIPANTS
Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award
Participants listed are for this document only and may not include all participants involved in the entire case. Always consult the original documents.
Claimant appointee
Respondent appointee
Tribunal/Panel chair
Hassan Abdel-Basset Gemei
Arbitrator(s)
Sole Arbitrator
ICSID Annulment Committee president
ICSID Annulment Committee members
WTO Appellate Body members
WTO Appellate Body chair
Judges
Claimant's counsel
Alain Jeffrey Ifrah, Robert W. Ward
Claimant's law firm
Respondent's counsel
Respondent's law firm
Other counsel
Claimant's expert
Claimant's expert firm
Respondent's expert
Respondent's expert firm
Claimant's witness
Gamal Aboudeif, George Calhoun
Respondent's witness
Other witnesses
Tribunal secretary
Tribunal assistant
Third-party funder
Entities
Ifrah, Iraqi Airways, Horse Travel Company, Iraq
Country
United States
Print reporter
Document Summary
Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award
This summary note is machine-generated. Always consult the original materials.

Procedural Posture

This document is a Petition to Recognize and Enforce a Foreign Arbitral Award filed by Horse Tours and Travel SAE (Petitioner) against Iraqi Airways Company, the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Iraq, and the Republic of Iraq (Respondents) in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The Petitioner seeks confirmation of a July 26, 2023 arbitral award rendered in Cairo, Egypt, pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) and the New York Convention.

Factual and Procedural Background

The underlying arbitration arose from a 2001 general agency agreement under which the Petitioner served as the exclusive sales agent for Iraqi Airways in Egypt. The arbitral tribunal determined that the Respondents deliberately breached the agreement in bad faith by terminating and suspending the contract without legitimate justification. The tribunal awarded the Petitioner approximately $786 million in damages, encompassing incurred expenses, lost profits, and compensation for reputational harm, alongside arbitration costs. The Egyptian Court of Cassation subsequently dismissed the Respondents' appeal, rendering the award final and binding at the seat of arbitration.

Legal Basis for Enforcement

The Petitioner asserts that the District Court possesses subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), specifically invoking the arbitration and implied waiver exceptions to sovereign immunity (28 U.S.C. § 1605(a)(6) and (a)(1)). The petition contends that the Republic of Iraq is jointly and severally liable for the award, arguing that the Ministry of Transport functions as an integral political subdivision of the state rather than a distinct legal entity. The Petitioner requests the entry of judgment confirming the award in its entirety, seeking a total of over $968 million inclusive of post-award interest.