The check-in counter of Iraqi Airways opens at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. (Photo provided to China Daily)
An Iraqi Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed smoothly at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 3 a.m. on October 11, marking the official resumption of flights between Baghdad and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.
The Chief Representative of Iraqi Airways in China Ali Zaid Qanbar Al-Tameemi attended the resumption ceremony at the airport. He welcomed the passengers and crews of the first post-resumption flight and bid farewell to the first departing passengers.
According to the resumption plan, the round-trip between Guangzhou, China's southern gateway, and Baghdad operates twice a week.
IA474 departs from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 5 a.m. every Wednesday and Sunday and arrives at Baghdad International Airport at 8 a.m.. And IA473 departs from Baghdad International Airport at 2 p.m. every Tuesday and Saturday and arrives at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 3 a.m. the next day. All times are local.
The route is operated by Iraqi Airways' newly purchased Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with a two-class layout of Economy Class and Business Class.
Exchanges between the two ancient civilizations can be traced back to the ancient Silk Road more than 2,000 years ago. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Iraq, and the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
China signed a BRI cooperation document with Iraq in 2015. Iraq's economy has gradually improved and the exchanges between the two countries have become increasingly close in recent years.
To meet the growing aviation marketing demand, Iraqi Airways is continuing to expand and renew its fleet to further meet the growth of the business and leisure travel markets in the region, signing an order agreement with Boeing and Airbus for 31 aircraft, including 16 Boeing 737MAXs, 10 Boeing 787s and 5 Airbus A220s.
The Chief Representative of Iraqi Airways in China Ali Zaid Qanbar Al-Tameemi (in black) attended the resumption ceremony of flights between Baghdad and Guangzhou at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on October 11. (Photo provided to China Daily)