Qatar Airways Launches Flights to Basra, Iraq

Qatar Airways has launched flights to its fourth destination in the Republic of Iraq – to the southern port city of Basra.

The new services, operating four-times-a-week non-stop from the airline’s Doha hub, takes the carrier’s global network to 128 destinations worldwide.

The launch also marks the rapid expansion by Qatar Airways in Iraq since the middle of 2012 when it began flights to Erbil, followed by the capital Baghdad and, earlier this year, Najaf.

With this route launch, Qatar Airways’ frequency across Iraq rises from 12 to 16 flights each week – representing a more than 25% increase in services.

Basra also marks the carrier’s fourth new Middle Eastern destination launched so far this year after Najaf, Gassim in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Salalah in Oman.

“The Republic of Iraq has been on our list of expansion priorities for some time and the last 12 months have seen us move forward very quickly opening up four new gateways in Iraq with a fifth Sulaymaniyah starting in August,” said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker. “Qatar Airways’ commitment is strong as we continue to build on our already strong relationship between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Iraq. Opening up Iraq to the world with more travel options and flexibility has always been part of our general strategy to enter underserved markets and give the travelling public to and from such places the ability to travel with greater choice, bringing the world closer to them.”

The Doha – Basra route is being operated by Airbus A320 featuring 144 seats in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business Class and 132 seats in Economy.