Flight links London and Baghdad 'for first time in 20 years'

28/04/2010

By James Wilson.

The first commercial flight between Iraq and the UK in 20 years landed last week (April 25th).

Operated by Iraqi Airways, the scheduled service between Baghdad and London Gatwick Airport flew via Malmo in Sweden, marking the end of two decades of restrictions on services between the two nations.

The carrier now intends to run two flights per week between the two air hubs.

A Gatwick airport spokesman said: "We expect there to be a twice weekly service, on Sunday and Wednesday.

"This flight should have happened last week but it was affected by the ash cloud."

He added that future return flights from the UK to Iraq would be direct services.

Flight IA237 carried 30 passengers to London Gatwick Airport, including Iraqi transport minister Amer Abduljabbar, AFP reports.

London Gatwick is the world's busiest single runway airport, offering long haul flights to popular destinations across the globe.

It served around 2.3 million travelers last month alone.