Local
In a move that enhances air transport and bilateral ties between Iraq and Germany, German company Eurowings, part of the Lufthansa aviation giant, revealed on Friday its preparations to organize direct flights connecting the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, with Berlin, starting next December. A company statement explained that starting from the tenth of next December, four direct weekly flights will be operated from Berlin and Düsseldorf in western Germany to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, with two weekly flights from Berlin and two from Düsseldorf. The statement pointed out that these new flights will join the existing schedule connecting Erbil directly with various German cities. The company stated that this expansion comes in response to the increasing number of air travelers coming from Germany to Iraq, within the framework of the visiting friends and relatives program supervised by the company. The German enterprise is entering the Iraqi air transport market, taking advantage of the noticeable shortage in flights providing a direct link between Baghdad and Europe, which enhances its position as a prominent international carrier in the Middle East, especially after launching about thirty-eight new routes in Europe and the Middle East. Furthermore, the step aims to invest in the growing business movement between the two countries, benefiting from the momentum gained by the business sector following the visit of Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidy to Germany and his invitation to German economic actors to expand their investments in Iraq, pledging to facilitate administrative procedures and overcome bureaucratic obstacles, as well as canceling the requirement for prior entry visas and granting them upon arrival at airports to save time and streamline procedures. These anticipated flights will provide an opportunity for more than half a million Iraqi citizens residing in Germany to maintain regular contact with their relatives and friends, thereby supporting the strengthening of social and cultural bonds between the two nations.
