Emirates celebrates one year of operations to Basra

Emirates celebrated its first full year of operations to Basra today, marking the occasion with a celebratory cake for the station's employees.

Since the operation began on 2nd February 2011 Emirates has operated over 400 flights between Dubai and Basra, flying thousands of passengers on the route.

"Basra is a strategically important market for Emirates. The success of this destination paved the way for our second Iraqi gateway, opening up a significant new passenger segment for us," said Haitham Al Battaway, Emirates Manager Iraq.

"We have a strong and dedicated team of staff working for us in Basra who have collectively helped to make this route successful. Since coming online Basra has become one of our most lucrative routes, yielding strong and consistent revenue."

A total of 43 Iraqi Nationals are working for Emirates across Iraq supporting the airline's two destinations, Basra and Baghdad.

Emirates' office in Basra offers five customer service desks enabling customers to book their flights as well as offering assistance with visa application, Skywards enrolment and shortly Emirates Holidays bookings. Language capabilities at the Basra office are Arabic and English.

Outbound, one of the key destinations for passengers from Basra is Kuala Lumpur where Iraqi travellers receive a free visa on arrival. Emirates also offers an A380 service to Kuala Lumpur with the route enjoying good connection times from Basra.

Since operations began one year ago, China has also become a key destination from Basra due to the significant trade opportunities across the country. India also receives good patronage from Basra due to the country's strong medical facilities.

Emirates currently operates a four weekly service to Basra and daily service to Baghdad, connecting customers in Iraq to the airline's network of 121 worldwide destinations.