Emirates starts direct flights between Dubai and Erbil

Emirates said it has commenced its new non-stop service between Dubai and Erbil city in Iraq. The new route is the airline’s 11th destination launched this year, and its third gateway in Iraq, after Baghdad and Basra. Emirates said in a statement that it will initially operate the service between Dubai and Erbil four times a week, increasing to a daily service from September 1, 2012.
“The launch of Erbil marks Emirates’ 16th destination in the Middle East. Erbil will provide our passengers with an excellent opportunity to travel seamlessly both in and out of Erbil to our worldwide network of 126 destinations in 74 countries,” Adel Al Redha, Emirates Executive Vice President, Engineering & Operations, said in a statement.
He further said that Iraq would continue to see an upward trend in economic growth and that Emirates was “firmly committed to helping the country prosper and flourish”.
 “We expect this new destination to be extremely popular with the many multinational companies who have a presence in Erbil, in addition to those looking to set up new business ventures,” he said.
Meanwhile, Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has been operating a freighter out of Erbil since February 2011.
Gulf News
Aug 12