Swedish Airline operates historic passenger flight to Baghdad
Baghdad has seen passengers arrive on a direct passenger charter flight from a European airport for the first time in 18 years when a Nordic Leisure flight from Sweden arrived in the Iraqi capital.
The airline has indicated that it hopes to operate the flight weekly and open up direct flights to Baghdad on a regular basis. Not since UN sanctions were imposed following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 has there been any commercial passenger activity from any airport within the EU. This one small charter flight is really one very big step in reuniting the good people of Iraq with people who wish to travel to the country without having all the associated hassle of travelling via a neighbouring country.
Iraq does in fact have it’s own national carrier, Iraqi Airways, and they have said that they intend to inaugurate regular scheduled services to European destinations (in association with KLM-Air France) “in the coming months” and we wish them every success. Many airlines, however, must have safety concerns which will, have to be overcome before regular services commence as will the reported run down state of the international airport in Baghdad. Who will fund the renovations required to bring it up to acceptable international standards-the USA, probably not! If airlines wish to operate to Baghdad they will have to pay the price in one way or another.
