GAZİANTEP
Iraqi Airways launched flights from Irbil, the largest city of northern Iraq, to Gaziantep, a southern Turkish city, on Sunday for the first time.
The Iraqi CRJ 900 aircraft landed at Gaziantep Airport at 8.45 pm on Sunday, and was welcomed by Iraq's Consulate General in Gaziantep and Turkish representatives of the airways.
The first flight was celebrated with the cutting of cake.
Iraqi Consulate General Sabah Al Dabbagh told an AA Correspondent he wished the first flight to be a good start.
Stressing that it especially provided great convenience for businessmen, he said, "We have done everything as a consuludate in Gaziantep. We believe we made a good first of something. I hope these mutual flights, from Irbil to Gaziantep, Gaziantep to Irbil, will have an impact in terms of economics. Businessmen had to travel by land before and it took them one day. Now they get to Irbil in an hour. I don't think there is a better success.”
Turkish representative of Iraqi Airways Sebnem Asli Topcu said they had worked on the project for months, adding that they sought to promote economic relations between the two regions while providing safe flights.
The flights between Irbil and Gaziantep are planned twice a week on Thursday and Sunday, departing from Irbil at 8 pm and from Gaziantep at 10 pm.
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