ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Greek airline is set to operate its first direct flight from Athens to Baghdad on Tuesday, marking the resumption of European flights to Iraq’s capital after more than three decades, an Iraqi airport official said.
Ahmed Wahid, director of relations and media at the Iraqi Airports Directorate, told Rudaw that the flight is scheduled to arrive at Baghdad International Airport at noon. “As a first phase, two flights will operate per week on Saturdays and Tuesdays, with plans to increase them to daily services,” he said.
Nasser al-Asadi, adviser to the Iraqi prime minister for transport affairs, stressed that the move does not signal a lifting of European aviation restrictions on Iraqi carriers.
“This flight is the result of cooperation between [airline] companies, not the lifting of European sanctions, which have been extended for another six months,” he told Rudaw.
The EU has banned Iraqi Airways flights due to ongoing safety concerns. The Iraqi government has been seeking to have the ban lifted.
Wahid said a welcoming ceremony will be held upon the flight’s arrival, attended by Greek Ambassador to Iraq Georgios Almanos, Civil Aviation Authority President Benkin Rikani, and other Iraqi officials.
He added that an Omani airline will also begin transiting through Baghdad International Airport to Europe on Tuesday, noting that “European flights will be available at Baghdad International Airport.”
In December, Transport Ministry spokesperson Maytham al-Safi said the airport had seen “major and noticeable improvements” in services, prompting visits by “several” international civil aviation authorities to assess its readiness. He said the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority was among them, observing “significant improvements” following recent projects.
Iraqi Airways has been banned from European Union airspace since 2015 over safety concerns and remains on the EU’s air safety blacklist, alongside Fly Baghdad, with limited exceptions.
The airline’s reputation has also been damaged by a series of scandals. In 2020, the Civil Aviation Authority suspended a pilot after he allowed a female model into the cockpit mid-flight. In July 2018, two pilots were involved in a physical altercation over a meal while flying a Boeing 737 carrying 160 passengers. In August 2023, Iraqi Airways apologized after a bear escaped from its crate in the cargo hold, delaying a flight from Dubai to Baghdad.
In May, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani met with representatives of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to push for the lifting of the ban. At the time, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority said 71 percent of a corrective action plan had been implemented.
Transport Ministry spokesperson Maitham al-Safi told state media in late November that “significant progress” had been made toward lifting the ban.
Malik Abbasi contributed to this report.