"Huge milestone" at Gatwick with first scheduled flights between London and Baghdad for 23 years (From Redhill And Reigate Life)

"Huge milestone" at Gatwick with first scheduled flights between London and Baghdad for 23 years

5:13pm Monday 18th March 2013 in Local News

Gatwick Airport bosses have welcomed the first scheduled flight between London and the Iraqi capital Baghdad for more than two decades.

The first scheduled flight between the capitals for 23 years touched down earlier this month.

Abir Burhan, operations manager for Iraqi Airways UK, called the moment “a huge milestone.”

The flights will operate from London Gatwick direct (non-stop) to Baghdad and Sulaymaniyah.

Iraqi Airways will use newly-bought Airbus A330, A321 and A320 planes to operate two direct flights to Baghdad and one to Sulaymaniyah every week from Gatwick's South Terminal.

The frequency will increase to a six-weekly service by June 15, with all return flights stopping for one hour in Malmo, Sweden. Matt Wood, head of airline relations at Gatwick Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome Iraqi Airways and its passengers to Gatwick. “This is the first regular scheduled flight between the two capitals for 23 years and we look forward to working with the airline to help make this new route a success.”

Mr Burhan said: “It has been a privilege to be involved in the launch of two new non-stop London routes to Baghdad and Sulaymaniyah. “This connection between the UK and Iraq is a huge milestone, not just for Iraqi Airways but for the development of Iraq as a whole. The future for Iraq is looking very exciting.”