After 17 years, THY resumes flights to Baghdad

Turkish Airlines (THY), one of Europe's fastest-growing airlines, has resumed flights to Baghdad after nearly two decades. The flights, suspended in 1991 due to the Gulf War, will now run three times a week between Istanbul and Baghdad. A plane carrying business leaders, reporters, Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim and State Minister for Foreign Trade Kursad Tuzmen, along with Turkish and Iraqi air passengers, left yesterday for Baghdad to attend a ceremony marking the renewal of service. Before leaving, Yildirim told reporters at Ataturk International Airport that the renewed THY service will do much to strengthen relations with Iraq. He also said that thanks to an agreement between the two countries, additional flights could be offered between other cities. For his part, Tuzmen said, "The restarted flights will help boost business relations between the two countries and also show that security in Iraq is starting to be restored." Touching on the rising tide of bilateral trade in recent years, Tuzmen also said that it would reach $5 billion by the end of this year, and could be $20 billion by 2011.