Emirates to double its flights to Kurdish capital Erbil

Like other airlines in the UAE, Emirates suspended its operations to Erbil after the ISIL fighters got within kilometres of the Kurdish city, causing thousands of people to flee in panic.

Most of Emirates Airline's passengers to Erbil originate from the Middle East, North America and Europe, from where they transit via Dubai to connect to Iraq. Krisztian Bocsi / Bloomberg News

Emirates Airline, which this month resumed services to Erbil, plans to double its weekly flights on the route from December 4 and carry 2,000 passengers a week.

In August Emirates suspended operations to the capital of the Kurdish region because of ISIL’s rapid advance in Iraq.

“We suspended our flights to Erbil in August due to increased security concerns,” said Majid Al Mualla, divisional senior vice president commercial operations centre at Emirates. “We have been closely monitoring the situation in Iraq, and after a detailed review of all operational factors ... we decided to resume our services on November 16.”

Like other UAE airlines, Emirates suspended its operations to Erbil after the ISIL fighters got within kilometres of the Kurdish city, causing thousands of people to flee in panic. Later, as the US-led forces stopped the progress of ISIL in Iraq, the Kurdish army, better known as the Peshmerga, regained power over key areas near Erbil. However, ISIL still controls Mosul, which is only about 90 kilometres away.

Despite the situation nearby, Emirates is bullish on Erbil.

Asked if demand is there given the security concerns, Mr Al Mualla said: “We can tell you that the response so far has been positive since we resumed flights [to Erbil]. The inbound and outbound booking levels look healthy at the moment, and the rest of the year is promising.”

The airline said that its passengers on the flights are mainly corporate customers.

Emirates added that most of its passengers to Erbil originate from the Middle East, North America and Europe, from where they transit via Dubai to connect to Iraq.

Meanwhile, Emirates Skycargo, the freight arm, has also resumed its three weekly flights between the two cities.