Direct, non-stop scheduled commercial flights are increasingly possible from West European airports, including Vienna, Stockholm, Athens, and Munich to airports in Iraq such as Erbil / Arbil (EBL), Sulaimaniyah (ISU), and Baghdad (SDA). These flights on Viking and Austrian Airlines are relatively pricy but with German low-cost airline Air Berlin entering the market as well as plans by Lufthansa to resume flights to Iraq flights should become cheaper. Several Middle Eastern airlines already fly to Iraq and offer services from Europe via hubs such as Beirut, Amman, and Istanbul.
Non-Stop Flights from Western Europe to Erbil Airport (EBL) in Iraq
The largest number of commercial flights from Western Europe to Iraq currently goes Erbil International Airport (EBL) outside Erbil (sometimes written Arbil or Irbil) in Iraqi Kurdistan. Flights to Erbil are not particularly cheap but an increase in competition is helping to force prices down.
Austrian Airlines (OS) is currently the most convenient European airline to use to Erbil. Austrian Airlines flies three times per week non-stop from Vienna (VIE) to Erbil (EBL). In contrast to Viking Airlines and Air Berlin, bookings for Austrian Airlines flights to Iraq can be made through any regular air ticket reservation service. Furthermore, Austrian Airlines offers guaranteed connections through it hub in Vienna and, as a subsidiary of Lufthansa, allows connecting flights to several hundred destinations worldwide.
Swedish carrier Viking Airlines (4P/VIK) flies from Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN), Gothenburg-Landvetter (GOT), and Malmo-Sturup (MMX) to Erbil (EBL) in Iraq. Viking Airlines offers guaranteed through connections to Erbil via Sweden from Birmingham (BHX) and London-Gatwick (LGW) in the United Kingdom. The Viking Airlines flights from Stockholm to Erbil are weekly while other flights are scheduled only a few times per month. A subsidiary airline, Viking Hellas (VQ), has started weekly flights from Athens (ATH) in Greece to Erbil (EBL).
German low-cost airline Air Berlin (AB) has started flights from Munich (München / MUC) to Erbil on a trial basis. Connecting Air Berlin flights are currently only available from Berlin (TXL), Düsseldorf (DUS) and Hamburg (HAM). Air Berlin intends to increase the number of flights from summer 2010.
Lufthansa (LH) has announced plans to fly to Erbil from Frankfurt four times per week from end April 2010.
Non-Stop Flights from Western Europe to Sulaimaniyah (ISU) in Iraq
Direct, non-stop flights are available from Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmo, Athens and Munich to Sulaimaniyah International Airport (ISU) in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Once again, Swedish carrier Viking Airlines (4P/VIK) is the leading airline to operate scheduled flights from Western Europe to Sulaimaniyah (ISU). Viking flies to Sulaimaniyah non-stop from Göteborg-Lanvetter, Malmo-Sturup and Stockholm- Arlanda. The weekly flights from Sulaimaniyah to Stockholm are the most frequent while connections are available via Sweden to Birmingham and London-Gatwick (LGW) in Great Britain.
Viking Airlines’ Greek subsidiary Viking Hellas announced plans to fly to Sulaimaniyah from Athens from March 2009.
German low-cost airline Air Berlin (AB) plans to start flying from Munich to Sulaimaniyah from February 2009.
Non-Stop Flights from Western Europe to Baghdad (SDA) in Iraq
Although several Middle Eastern airlines are already flying into Baghdad International Airport (SDA), Western carriers still largely shy away from the Iraqi capital.
Swedish-carrier Viking Airlines (4P/VIK) flies weekly to Bagdad Airport (SDA) from Stockholm-Arlanda with guaranteed connecting flights available to London-Gatwick (LGW). Viking Hellas plans to start flights from Athens to Baghdad in spring 2010.
Lufthansa (LH) has announced its intention to start regular scheduled flights to Baghdad Airport (SDA) from Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) in summer 2010. If Lufthansa do fly to Baghdad, it will be the first major western airline to do so since 1990.
(Update: Lufthansa cancelled planned flights to Baghdad Airport but Austrian Airlines announced plans to fly to BGW from Vienna Airport from June 2011.)
Flights from Europe to Iraq are generally not cheap but the increase in competition, especially on flights to Kurdistan, should help to force prices down. However, Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa, as well as low-cost airline Air Berlin, are better known for reliability and good service rather than cheap prices.
Henk Bekker - Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer currently living on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
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