Eurowings to launch Baghdad flights from Berlin, Düsseldorf in December

BAGHDAD — German carrier Eurowings will launch four direct flights a week between Germany and Baghdad starting Dec. 10, adding new links to the Iraqi capital as Iraq rebuilds its international air network after major disruptions earlier this year.

The Lufthansa Group airline will operate two weekly flights to Baghdad from Berlin and two from Düsseldorf, according to a company statement cited by the state-run Iraqi News Agency. The routes will add to Eurowings’ existing direct connections between Erbil and German cities.

The airline said the expansion reflects growing passenger demand between Germany and Iraq, particularly from people visiting friends and relatives, and would give the more than half a million Iraqis living in Germany more options for direct travel.

Eurowings also expects demand from business travelers as Baghdad and Berlin seek to expand economic ties. During a visit to Berlin on Sept. 15, Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi urged German companies to increase investment in Iraq and pledged to ease administrative procedures, including allowing eligible German businesspeople to receive visas on arrival.

The new flights are part of a broader restoration and expansion of Iraq’s air links in 2026, after the country closed its airspace for 38 days from Feb. 28 because of regional military escalation. Airports reopened April 8, after thousands of passengers had been stranded and airlines had suspended service.

Iraqi Airways resumed direct Baghdad-Moscow flights in August, with two a week, after a five-month suspension, and launched a weekly Basra-Baku route in July. Baghdad-Beirut flights resumed in April but were suspended again in June over renewed regional security concerns.

Kirkuk International Airport has expanded its international network since reopening in May, restoring four weekly Istanbul flights and adding Antalya, Beirut, Dubai and Trabzon. Direct service to Cairo is scheduled to begin Oct. 4, making it the sixth international destination announced since the reopening.

Iraq also returned western sections of its airspace to civilian aviation control in September after nine years of military restrictions, a step authorities said could allow shorter commercial routes, more international overflights and higher navigation revenue.