Baghdad-Athens flights to begin within weeks: Transport ministry

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The first direct flight from Athens will land in Baghdad within weeks after Greece’s civil aviation authority completed an inspection of the Iraqi capital’s airport, the spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Transport said on Saturday.

“Baghdad International Airport has witnessed major and noticeable improvements in the level of its services after the implementation of 26 projects, which resulted in several visits from international civil aviation authorities to verify its readiness,” said Maytham al-Safi, spokesperson for the transport ministry, as quoted by the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).

“Among these authorities was the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority, which visited Baghdad Airport and conducted an inspection tour during which it observed the significant and noticeable improvements following the implementation of a series of projects,” he added.

The airport improvements have encouraged the Greek and other international aviation operators to submit requests to operate flights to Baghdad, Safi said, confirming that the first flight from Athens will arrive within a few weeks and hinting at more flights in the new year.

“Baghdad International Airport will witness wide openness to the world next year, which will pave the way for lifting the European ban on the airport, the Civil Aviation Authority, and Iraqi Airways, allowing for the opening of new air routes to European airports,” he added.

Iraqi Airways, one of the oldest airlines in the Middle East, has been banned from operating in European Union airspace since 2015 due to repeated safety violations. Along with Fly Baghdad, it remains on the EU’s list of air carriers prohibited from entering the bloc, with limited exceptions.

The Iraqi government has actively sought to get the ban lifted.

“Through a specialized committee and by implementing a very good process, we have reached 79 percent of the corrective measures in the IOSA [IATA Operational Safety Audit] reform program, which is considered the first step before obtaining the TCO [Third Country Operator] certificate that is considered a gateway to lifting the ban,” Safi told Rudaw in October.

Iraqi Airways has a poor reputation and has been stained by scandals in the past. In 2020, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority suspended a pilot after he allowed a female model to enter the cockpit mid-flight. In July 2018, two Iraqi pilots got into a physical fight over dinner while flying a Boeing 737 with 160 passengers on board. In August 2023, Iraqi Airways had to apologize after a bear escaped from a crate in the cargo hold, delaying a flight from Dubai to Baghdad.