Austrian Airlines To Resume Flights To Iraqi Kurdistan
Feb 14, 2008
VIENNA, Austria, (AP) - Austrian Airlines said Wednesday it will resume flights
to Erbil city, the capital of semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in April after an
eight-month hiatus prompted by security concerns.
An airline statement said three direct flights a week are planned from Vienna as
of April 2, and four as of June.
Service was suspended in August following a security review in the Kurdish city
of Sulaimani about 215 miles north of Baghdad. The airline said then the
decision was based partially on an incident involving a Swedish jetliner that
allegedly came under rocket fire as it left Sulaimani also in Kurdistan region.
Iraqi Kurdistan aviation officials denied that the Nordic Airways plane was
targeted, but Sweden since has suspended commercial flights to the country.
Austrian Airlines launched twice-weekly service between Vienna and Erbil in
December 2006.
