Financial daily: sale of L159s falls through

A deal by the Czech Republic to sell 24 L159 training jets to Iraq for more than 20 billion crowns has fallen through, financial daily Hospodářské noviny reported on Monday. According to the newspaper, the country lost out to South Korea’s Korean Aircraft Industries, who signed a contract with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki last week. The Korean firm succeeded even though media reports had suggested the Czech sale was almost a “done deal”. The Czech Republic had hoped to see the creation of more than 700 new jobs at home had a deal been reached. The sale of the Aero Vodochody planes was discussed for several years.