Emirates Airline said on Wednesday that it will resume passenger flights to Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, from August 15 after a risk assessment fell in line with the airline’s safety standards.
Emirates in March suspended flights to Erbil on security concerns after ISIL razed ancient cities in Iraq’s north.
The carrier will resume its four weekly flights to Erbil on a redirected flight path as a precautionary measure, which will result in longer flight times for passengers.
“We have been closely observing the situation in northern Iraq and upon a comprehensive review of our operations as well as a detailed risk assessment that is in line with Emirates’ safety standards, we decided to recommence our services to Erbil,” said Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president for commercial operations.
In addition to passenger operations, Emirates SkyCargo will offer 17 tonnes of cargo capacity between Dubai and Erbil on the A330-200.
Emirates will also resume operations of a Boeing 777 Freighter, which has the capacity to carry just over 100 tonnes of cargo. Commodities expected are products such as mobile phones, telephones, hand-held equipment, electronics like laptops and semiconductors.
Emirates has been serving Iraq since 2011 and currently operates services to Basra.
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