Saudi Arabian and Iraqi aviation links are set to resume on Thursday after more than 20 years with the launch of a new service by the privately-owned Alwafeer Air.
Saudi Arabia halted flights to Iraq following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the only flights at present carry hajj pilgrims.
According to a report by Arab News, the Saudi-based Alwafeer Air will launch its first flight from Jeddah to Baghdad on July 15.
The airline will run a weekly service from Jeddah to Baghdad and two flights a week from Jeddah to Basra. The service to Basra will begin on July 25.
Saleh A. Bogary, the airline’s marketing director, told the paper: “The first flight carrying some 450 passengers will leave King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) on July 15.”
He told the paper the airline had been approached by Saudi Arabian Airlines to operate flights to Iraq following an agreement endorsed by Saudi and Iraqi aviation authorities.
The airline also plans to offer a service to Sulaymaniyah, in Iraqi Kurdistan, Bogary said.