Iraqi Airways has resumed daily flights between Najaf and Tehran, with its first service landing at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport at 7:30am on October 8, Iranian media reported.
The restart reopens the main air link for religious traffic between the two countries. Najaf, home to the shrine of Imam Ali, is the gateway for Iranian pilgrims travelling to Iraq’s shrine cities, and Iranian carriers returned to the airport on October 4 under an arrangement allowing up to 40 flights a day. Iraqi Airways became the only Iraqi carrier cleared to fly the route after Iraq partly restored Iran flights late last month, following a halt that left Najaf without Iranian services. Eurowings is also adding Baghdad this winter.
Iraqi Airways announced the resumption on October 5. It plans regular daily flights from Najaf International Airport to Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan, though it has not said when the Mashhad and Isfahan services will start.
Iraq’s Ministry of Transport said the flights would make travel easier for passengers and provide regular air links between Iraq and Iranian cities.
Flights between the two countries stopped in September after the US Treasury imposed sanctions on 36 entities, including 27 airlines, on September 8. On September 29, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control licensed Iraqi Airways to operate passenger flights via Najaf, subject to conditions. Iraq had sought exemptions for travel for pilgrimage, medical treatment and education.
Najaf International Airport said it expected Iranian flight traffic to increase gradually in the coming days in line with airline schedules. Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization advised travellers to check flight updates before travelling to airports. Mahan Air is excluded from the arrangement covering Iranian carriers.
Iraqi Airways, the state-owned flag carrier, is based in Baghdad and is one of the oldest airlines in the Middle East.
Image: Jeffrey Beall via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0