A businessman has reportedly applied to launch a service between the UK and Iraq – with return fares starting at around £500.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Dhia Al-Ani, owner of Air Scotland and Greece Airways, has applied to the Department for Transport for a twice-weekly service to Baghdad and a weekly service to the northern town of Irbil.
The newspaper states that the flights would depart from Stansted and Glasgow.
While the price would appear high, Mr Al-Ani is quoted as saying that this is mainly because of the high cost of insurance, and that the cost will drop to around £300 “as the situation becomes normal”.
He pointed out that commercial flights from Baghdad to Amman and Dubai are not experiencing any problems.
He reportedly went on to say that many Iraqis would be keen to visit Britain, adding: “I think those flying from Britain will mainly be people involved in the reconstruction of Iraq. It is probably too early to talk about taking tourists there.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com
