Finally, after a delay of nearly 12 months, Austrian Airlines has introduced a twice weekly service from Vienna to Erbil, in Iran”s autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Austrian has a strategy called ”Focus East” which has seen the airline pioneering many new routes. Erbil, another first, is now added to cities including Odessa (Ukraine), Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Pristina (Kosovo) and Krasnodar (Russia).
The city of Erbil is recognised as a safe gateway to Iraq and is its fourth largest city with a population approaching one million. International companies are already active in Erbil developing and expanding the local economy, while the United Nations Organisation has plans to establish its Iraq support point in the city. A UK consulate is being considered according to Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman.
Austrian Management Board member Dr Josef E. Burger issued the following statement ”Erbil is truly a milestone in the development of the Austrian route network. Once again, it will allow us to underline our pioneering role and specialisation in the form of our Focus East programme of services to Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Far East. With our flights to Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, we are already the number three carrier in Europe when measured by service into the Middle East.”