The opening of Basra International Airport has been pushed back by another month in order to give airlines more time to market their new routes to Iraq and finalize fares, reported the spokesman for UK forces in the country.
The airport is "set up and ready to go, but it needs more time for the supporting infrastructure," such as bus services and hotels, which need to prepare for prospective guests, said Captain Hisham Halawi to AFP.
Following the announcement that the US-led coalition authorities are delaying the introduction of commercial services to the southern Iraqi city, Qatar Airways reported that it expects to start commercial services to Basra on September 6, instead of its previously planned launch date of August 30.
International airlines, including Emirates, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, LOT Polish Airlines and Scandinavia’s SAS, were granted permission to fly into the airport, which was scheduled to reopen before the airport in Baghdad. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
