Iraq to resume direct flights to Iran on Thursday

Iraqi Airways said Monday it will resume direct flights to Iran on Thursday, with daily services from Najaf International Airport to three Iranian cities.

The Iraqi national carrier said in a statement that its flight schedule, beginning Oct. 8, will include Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan.

It said the move aims to facilitate passenger travel and provide regular air transport between Iraq and the Iranian cities.

On Sept. 29, Iraq’s Transport Ministry announced that Iraqi Airways had secured a special exemption allowing it to operate flights to Iran, paving the way for their resumption in October after regulatory and technical requirements were completed.

The ministry said Iraqi Airways had suspended flights to Iran in early March as a “precautionary measure” amid military escalation between Tehran and Washington, while Iranian airlines stopped operating flights to Iraq on Sept. 23.

On Oct. 2, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced an agreement allowing Iranian airlines, with the exception of Mahan Air, to operate 40 flights daily to and from Najaf International Airport.

Al-Zaidi welcomed what he described as a positive response from the US government to Iraqi efforts to secure the required exemption, saying the measure was intended to facilitate travel, particularly for medical treatment, religious visits and tourism.

​​​​​​​Mahan Air has been under US sanctions since 2011 over alleged financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.