Friday, November 10, 2006
First European airline launches scheduled flights to Arbil
Travel
Austrian Airlines will start regular flights to the northern Iraqi town of Arbil as of December 11, Austria's national carrier said in a statement on Thursday. Flights to Arbil, Iraq's fourth largest city with one million inhabitants are scheduled twice a week, Monday and Friday. Austrian, the first European airline to launch scheduled flights to Iraq regards the Kurdish city as a "safe gate" into the country. The fast-growing city was close to both the Turkish and Iranian borders, and provided easy access to Mosul, Kirkuk and other cities in the oil-rich region, Austrian Airlines said. Austrian Airlines had announced plans for flights to Arbil in January, but cancelled these plans again after just one month. Austrian Airlines regards this new destination as another "milestone" in its company focus on Eastern Europe and the Middle and Far East, Josef Burger, a member of the airline's board, said in a statement.
