Bmi proposes Baghdad flights

Daily flights from London Heathrow to Baghdad could take to the skies next year, if plans outlined by the airport's second-largest carrier are approved.

Nigel Turner, the chief executive of bmi, has said that his airline is "ready and willing" to re-establish direct links to the Iraqi capital from Britain's main hub.

Commercial flights between the two countries have been suspended since 1991, when the first Gulf War prompted the UK government to impose a ban on all travel to Iraq.

Though the US-led invasion of 2003 led to a restoration of diplomatic ties, the country's poor security situation continued to make air services from Europe impossible.

That changed in April, however, when Iraqi Airways operated its first direct flight to the EU for almost two decades – and bmi is now setting its sights on the route.

"Bmi is ready and willing to re-establish air links between Heathrow and Baghdad," affirmed airline CEO Nigel Turner, who has already held meetings with senior Iraqi government officials.

"The ability to travel by air between Heathrow and Baghdad is vital in supporting the considerable energy going into bringing business ties and investment back to normality."

But rival carrier British Airways appeared less enthusiastic, with a spokeswoman telling The Independent that it has "no current plans" to restore its Baghdad connection.

"We've not registered any significant level of enquiries for travel to Iraq," she noted.

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