An Aegean Airlines aircraft from Athens landed at Baghdad International Airport – the first direct flight operated by a European carrier to the Iraqi capital in 35 years, the Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced.
The Baghdad – Athens – Baghdad route will be operated with two flights per week, with the possibility of adding more depending on demand, the Iraqi Ministry of Transport said in its announcement.
“Iraq’s return to the European aviation map”
This is “a crucial step, marking the beginning of a new phase of recovery for the Iraqi aviation sector” and its return “to the European aviation map,” the ministry’s statement said.
European airlines had not operated direct flights to Baghdad International Airport for security reasons since the early 1990s, when Saddam Hussein, who ruled Iraq from 1979 to 2003, invaded neighboring Kuwait.
After decades of civil war, ethnic clashes and jihadist attacks, Iraq has begun to regain some stability and authorities are working to attract foreign investment to boost the country’s economy.
Earlier this year, Aegean Airlines began flights to Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.
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