Baghdad welcomes Emirates’ inaugural flight

Emirates touched down in Baghdad today, marking its first flight to the capital city of Iraq.  

Passengers onboard 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. Amongst the passengers onboard the inaugural was Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran with his special guests HH Sheikh Juma Al Maktoum, Chairman SJM Group of Companies, Salah Al Ansari, Director Visitor Information Bureau, Department of Tourism and Commerce, Saood Kankazar, Director Air Transport and International Affairs, Dubai Civil Aviation, Wadee Ayyed, Chairman Al Handal International Group, Mohammed Ayyed, CEO Al Handal International Group and other VIPs.

 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. 

“Baghdad holds significant potential for Emirates given the city’s mandate to rebuild,” said Mr Khoory. “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.