Qatar Airways resumes service to two Iraq cities

QatarAirways yesterday announced that it has resumed service to Erbil andSulaymaniyah in Iraq. The airline had suspended service to both routesin November 2017, per the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority’s directive toall international carriers at the time.The award-winning airline nowoperates seven weekly flights to each destination. From May 1, theairline will further boost its service to Erbil with double dailyflights.Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker, said:“Erbil and Sulaymaniyah have always been two important destinations inIraq, in addition to Baghdad, the capital city, as well as Najaf andBasra. With an abundance of history to unearth at each location, we arepleased to be relaunching our award-winning service to both of thesedestinations, offering our passengers yet again a multitude of choicewithin Iraq.”Qatar Airways operates an Airbus A320 aircraft to bothErbil and Sulaymaniyah, which features 12 seats in Business Class and132 seats in Economy Class. Passengers will be able to enjoy theairline’s superior entertainment system, offering a wide variety ofentertainment options, including the latest blockbuster movies, TVshows, music and games.Qatar Airways serves five destinations inIraq. The airline first began flights to Erbil in 2012, followed by thecapital Baghdad, Najaf, Basra and Sulaymaniyah.Qatar Airways enjoyeda record-breaking year in 2017, claiming more than 50 individual awardsacross multiple categories, demonstrating its continued commitment toexceeding passenger expectations with its innovative approach to productdevelopment and dedication to customer experience.Leading the hostof awards received by the airline last year is the prestigious accoladeof 2017 ‘Airline of the Year,’ awarded by the 2017 Skytrax World AirlineAwards, which was held at the Paris Air Show. This is the fourth timethat Qatar Airways has been given this global recognition. In additionto being voted Best Airline by travellers from around the world, Qatar’snational carrier also won a raft of other major awards at the ceremony,including ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ ‘World’s Best BusinessClass’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge’.Last month,Qatar Airways revealed a host of forthcoming global destinations in linewith its expedited expansion plans, including the announcement that itwill be the first Gulf carrier to begin direct service to Luxembourg.