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Stockholm flight re-opens Iraqi air links with the EU

The first flight in 19 years to take off from Iraq bound for the European Union touched down in Stockholm on Friday evening.

Published: 28 March 2009 16:11 CET

The flight, operated by national airline Iraqi Airways flew from Baghdad to Stockholm via Athens and signalled the resumption of air links between the war-torn Middle Eastern country and the EU.

The Iraqi transport ministry heralded the flight as a major breakthrough.

“Transport Minister Amr Abduljabbar Ismail was on board the plane, which made a stop-off in the Greek capital” where he held talks with Greek leaders on developing bilateral relations in transport, the Iraqi transport ministry said in a statement.

Friday’s flight then continued to the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Iraqi Airways planes have been grounded since an international embargo was imposed

after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990.

Following the US-led invasion in 2003, the company resumed air services to Arab countries, Iran and Turkey, among other destinations.

The transport ministry said Iraqi Airways plans to add scheduled flights to Bahrain, Germany, India and Qatar.

The ministry and Air France-KLM signed an outline agreement on December 30th 2008 for the operation of commercial flights to Europe and for the renovation of Baghdad airport.

Among the clauses, Air France-KLM undertook to help Iraqi Airways set up international flights, especially European services.

The agreement also covers the renovation of Baghdad airport’s terminal three to international standards and the construction of new airports in Iraq with funding

from French businesses.

In January, Swedish charter company Nordic Leisure carried out the first passenger flight between Iraq and Europe since 1991, but the company lost its operating licence later the same month.

Sweden is among the European countries that have taken in the largest numbers of Iraqis fleeing the violence in the home country.

Madrid Barajas Airport

Image: GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

Antonio Zapatero, Deputy Minister of Public Health and head of the COVID-19 Plan for the Madrid region, has said Spain’s central government is “aware” that travellers with positive PCR tests are arriving at Barajas Airport, accusing La Moncloa of “not doing their jobs properly” with regards to border control, according to a report in online daily 20 Minutos.

“From January until now (late May 2021) tests have only been carried out on 7.4 percent of travellers coming into Barajas. It is a ridiculous figure that showcases the lack of real control,” Zapatero said during a press conference.

Zapatero explained that during the weekend of May 14th to 16th, there were 21 cases of Covid-19 at Barajas Airport. He explained that those cases hailed from countries such as Colombia, the Dominican Republic, France, Turkey, and Morocco, and were later admitted to the Zendal Hospital in the capital. According to Zapatero, at least three of these people had positive PCR tests.

Spain’s Ministry of Health has indicated that these cases were detected when carrying out random documentation checks.

“I do not understand how it is possible to let people board with positive PCR tests,” said Madrid’s Deputy Minister of Public Health.

When asked if national health authorities had communicated any information regarding these cases of positive PCR tests to them, Zapatero replied that “they have not given us any explanation”.

According to the report by 20Minutos, the Madrid government has detected a total of 800 imported coronavirus cases in health centres and hospitals that have entered through Barajas Airport.

Zapatero has also indicated that two of these imported cases were of the Indian variant. One of these two cases is a Spanish citizen residing in India who was transferred to Spain on a special medical plane and the other is a foreign tourist.

“The Indian variant is more worrying, because of what we’re seeing in the United Kingdom currently,” continued Zapatero.

“In the week of May 21st to 27th, the number of cases has increased by 20 percent and the number of deaths has increased by 14 percent.

“This mutation may complicate the definitive control of the pandemic. In the United Kingdom, there is an increase in cases and hospitalisations in young, unvaccinated people too,” he concluded.

Countries around Europe are tightening travel restrictions with the UK because of the spread of the so-called Indian variant of Covid-19.

Spain on the other hand has removed all restrictions for British tourists. From May 24th, UK holidaymakers can visit Spain without the need to quarantine or present a negative PCR test result. They will however need to fill in a health control form.

Spain will also allow all vaccinated travellers – regardless of their country of origin – to visit the country from June 7th.

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