Dubai’s Emirates Airline said Tuesday it will resume passenger flights to the Iraqi capital in September, months after they were suspended over safety concerns.
Emirates will operate four weekly flights from Dubai to Baghdad, served by an A330-200 aircraft starting from September 17, the carrier said in a statement published by the UAE’s official WAM news agency.
“After conducting an exhaustive safety and security review, we have decided to restart services between Dubai and Baghdad,” said Sheikh Majid al-Mualla, a company vice president.
In January, Emirates was among several carriers to suspend flights to Baghdad after a bullet hit the fuselage of a flydubai airliner, its sister no-frills firm, on its descent in the capital. A young girl was lightly wounded in the incident.
Many have since resumed the flights, including Turkish Airlines and Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines.
Airlines flying over Iraq had feared that militants from ISIS might acquire weapons able to hit cruising airliners.
Iraqi security forces are battling to regain ground from ISIS in Anbar province, west of Baghdad.
Baghdad International Airport is located near the border with Anbar.
Emirates operates four weekly services to Iraq’s northern city of Arbil and a twice-daily service to Basra in the south.
“We want to continue to support the development of economic opportunities in Baghdad by increasing access to international markets and inward investment,” Mualla said.

Dubai’s Emirates airline to resume flights to Baghdad

Dubai’s Emirates Airline said Tuesday it will resume passenger flights to the Iraqi capital in September, months after they were suspended over safety concerns. (File photo: AP)
Dubai
Tuesday 18 August 2015
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:48 - GMT 06:48
DAY | WEEK |
-
21615 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
12429 Views Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest 3 trillion riyals over next 10 years: Crown Prince
-
5027 Views Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issues several new royal decrees
-
4042 Views Full moon to align directly above Kaaba in Mecca on Jan. 28
-
2481 Views Coronavirus: Dubai’s new restrictions disappoint hospitals; entertainers struggle on
-
1424 Views US will help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks on its territory: State Department
-
21615 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
19240 Views Coronavirus: Number of new UAE COVID-19 cases reaches record high
-
16821 Views Airstrikes pound Iran-backed militias south of Iraq’s Baghdad: Reports
-
10905 Views Coronavirus: Dubai orders hospitals to cancel surgeries amid surge in COVID-19 cases
-
8228 Views Coronavirus: Dubai suspends live entertainment permits as COVID-19 cases surge
-
7795 Views Coronavirus: Dubai's latest COVID-19 rules for weddings, restaurants, gyms, concerts
SHOW MORE