Dubai: Baghdad will be Emirates’ 103rd international destination and one of six new destinations to be launched by the airline this year including; Tokyo – which began on 28th March, Amsterdam, Prague, Madrid and Dakar.
Iraq is the last remaining Middle Eastern destination to be frequented by Emirates. The carrier’s current number of weekly Middle Eastern flights totals 197, across 10 countries.
Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates airline & Group, said: “The launch of services to Baghdad highlights our steadfast commitment to connecting the Arab world with the rest of the globe. As the last remaining Middle Eastern country to receive our services I am delighted that we have now come full circle.”
Shaikh Ahmad added: “Iraq is well on the road to recovery and we are confident that the time is right to commence our operations there. There is a high proportion of traffic heading both in and out of Iraq and we are in the right position to capitalise on this demand. 2010 is set to be a strong year for Emirates and with a steady stream of new aircraft and six new destinations on the map we continue to defy industry expectations.”
Initially Emirates will operate a thrice weekly service on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
The route will be serviced by an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, offering a three-class configuration of 12 First Class, 42 Business Class and 183 Economy Class seats.
Would you visit Iraq now that Emirates is planning to fly? Which destinations would you like to fly to?
