Emirates Adds Baghdad – Second Service To Iraq

Emirates Adds Baghdad – Second Service To Iraq

Emirates has touched down in Baghdad, marking the start of its four-times-weekly service from Dubai to the capital city of Iraq.

Passengers on board the flight to Baghdad made good use of Emirates' extensive network connecting through Dubai from a number of global destinations such as Australia, England, the US, India, Pakistan and the UAE. On landing in Baghdad the aircraft received a water-cannon salute before local Iraqi media attended an official welcoming ceremony and press conference inside the airport terminal.

The service will operate on a Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and offers direct connections at Dubai with Emirates' flights from New Zealand. .

"Baghdad holds significant potential for Emirates given the city's mandate to rebuild," said Ahmed Khoory, Emirates' Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran. "As seen from today's flight Baghdad is an important destination for many of our markets, with a good mix of leisure and trade traffic travelling into the capital from more than a dozen international cities. We have been working closely with the GCAA to make this destination possible for our passengers and it is gratifying to finally be here."

Baghdad is the second destination that Emirates has launched in Iraq this year, with Basra successfully launching in February.

"We are seeing robust booking levels in both directions for Basra and expect the same level of interest for Baghdad. These markets are high revenue generating making them key destinations for the airline," added Khoory.

In October Emirates visited Baghdad for a pre-launch roadshow with a strong turnout from local businesses and key Iraqi Government Officials.

Emirates is operating an Airbus 330 between Dubai and Baghdad, in a three-class configuration.

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