KLM to launch flights to Baghdad

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has said it is to launch scheduled services to the Iraq capital Baghdad on September 1, 2003. The four weekly roundtrip services will be operated with Boeing 767 equipment, probably in conjunction with another destination in the Middle East.

KLM suspended services to Baghdad in 1985, following the outbreak of war between Iran and Iraq.

KLM said that now that recovery in Iraq is coming, there is a growing demand for passenger and cargo transport by air, and the airline intends to meet this need with its new scheduled services.

Together with its partners Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines, KLM is currently assessing whether these flights can be operated on a codeshare basis.

"Despite adverse conditions in the airline industry, KLM will continue to invest in enhancing its worldwide network and renewing the products and services it offers its customers," said KLM Managing Director & COO Peter Hartman. "We will be launching scheduled services to Malabo and Douala in Central Africa on July 23. And on September 1, we will add Baghdad to our network. We will continue to seek opportunities to find profitable ways to expand our route network and increase flight frequencies. We have sufficient capacity to do so, owing to cutbacks in other route areas in response to changing market conditions."