ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Emirates will fly into Erbil on Sunday for the first time since Islamic State came within kilometers of the regional capital this summer, the airline announced on Thursday.
The United Arab Emirates carrier, the largest in the Middle East, was one of several airlines to suspend flights to Erbil “due to increased security concerns” when the Islamic State (ISIS) came within 25 kilometers of the city in early August, causing thousands of citizens in the city to panic and leave.
US-led coalition airstrikes halted the ISIS advance, and the Iraqi Peshmerga have since reestablished control over key areas near the city with international help, although the militants remain in control of Mosul 90 kilometers away.
Emirates continued to fly to Basra and Baghdad throughout the period, and fellow Dubai-based airline flydubai continued flights to Kurdistan’s second city, Sulaimani.
The carrier will offer two flights a week between Erbil and Dubai, which hosts the region’s largest airport, and provide four flights a week starting 4 December.
“We have been closely monitoring the situation in Iraq and after a thorough review of all operational factors, we have decided to resume our services,” Emirates executive Sheikh Majid Al Mualla said in a press release Thursday. “The resumed service will be of particular benefit to passengers connecting to the GCC and points to the United States and Europe.”
