Emirates’ first route into Iraq will fly into Basra. The news follows the postponement of flights to Baghdad earlier this year due to operational reasons.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, said: "The city's recent growth has paved the way for numerous multinational companies and industries to invest in infrastructure and we have seen strong potential from a number of our markets. Since the 2009 oilfield bid, traffic from the U.S. and Europe into Basra has increased significantly and we are ready to capitalise on this growth.