Oman Air has just launched a new route to Europe, and I can’t help but find this to be one of the most interesting fifth freedom flights we’ve seen from a Gulf carrier.
Continue reading: Oman Air Launches Intriguing Flight To Copenhagen… Via Baghdad
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Before Covid, I would sometimes see very long check-in lines at CPH for flights from Copenhagen to Iraq.
A lot of that Iraq-bound traffic from residents of Sweden and Denmark departing CPH has since been picked up by Turkish airlines.
It's the second direct connection between Baghdad and Europe after 3 decades. Aeagean Airlines already started a direct service between ATH and BGW.
Sweden has quite a bunch of Iraqi doctors and pharmacists, and probably a quarter of them originate their trips from Copenhagen.
Without foreign medical graduates, the healthcare systems in many an ethnic European majority country would be even more short-staffed and much more expensive than now.
In Denmark nowadays the demographic group with the highest earning workers nowadays are not “white” Danish men but are “brown” Indian immigrants. It would probably be similar in Sweden if not for all the “brown” people who enter Sweden on student visas.
This comment is completely irrelevant in the context of a website for aviation news.
@Jens - Turkish has been flying to Baghdad from Istanbul for many years, as has Iraqi Airways. Pegasus and AJet also fly the route from Istanbul, but they operate from SAW which is in Asia.
Iraqi technology is far more advanced than people realize.
Their scientists are among smartest in the world.
They manufactured invisible WMDs.
Up till today no one can find it yet.
But don't worry, if we get another Bush, we'll go hunt for it again.
It’d be much more appealing if they put lie flats on their Max aircraft. They do some long routes. I believe they also just announced Muscat to Singapore on the Max.
Many comments on websites are off-topic. Ben and other website owners do not and should not micromanage things like this. I find attempts to micromanage others silly. The next stage is where you demand sometime like Jim or me be 'banned.' The answer is no, again. That is not the way. So, if you found what Jim (or anyone) said to be interesting or not, relevant or not, you get the choice: engage or ignore. You do you, Tom. You. Do. You.
Like Joan Rivers would say...Are you crazy?! Do not travel to Iraq. It's listed as 'avoid all travel' under Canada travel advisories, as 'level 4: do not travel' under US travel advisories, and Baghdad is listed as 'advise against all but essential travel' under the UK foreign travel advice.
You had me until I saw the stop in Baghdad. No thanks, I'll find another way to get to Muscat - not on a 737MAX with recliners.
For a lily-white traveler with an American accent the risk would be phenomenal. Don't be fooled by travel docos - those people have professional security teams with local contacts, and spend months in the planning. Even then it's still a significant risk. Just stay away. It's not worth it.
I reckon Tom was referring to the blabla of GUWonder. That is indeed irrelevant.
I just booked this flight and didn't realise that it makes a stop in baghdad before I got the tickets in me email... Will I need a visa to go through Iraq?
Most likely you will need a visa, and a declaration that you are not Jewish. You will also need to insure some compliance with Sharia law.
This is also a very interesting new route: https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/finnair-melbourne-australia-helsinki-flights
It is interesting you did not comment about the short turn around time in CPH. I guess there will be a change of crew in Iraq. Regarding the comments about a visa for Iraq, it really depends if you are staying on the plane or not and the rules of the country.
You see increasingly that Oman Air is using their 737Max on overnight routes to Europe, and, what adds insult to injury, sell their club seats as business class. This completly unacceptable. I understand that also other airlines, such as Air Canada, use their 737Max on some routes to Europe, but at least they sell their club seats as Premium Economy.
Just bought this trip for new years
Didn't relize the "technical stop" is in Baghdad until i recived the tickets in my email. Would i require a visa for the stop in Baghdad? Internet hasn't been too helpful so far... and oman air has no customer service in Denmark.
They are clearly targeting VFR traffic (Iraqi diaspora) and outbound leisure from Oman to Scandinavia. I don’t see average Danish person willing to transfer at BGW even for rock bottom prices, except maybe some backpackers. It’s a shame because the potential for high yield leisure traffic from Scandinavia to Oman is there.
This is compete BS and pure internet trolling. There’s no Sharia Law in Iraq to comply with, and the turnaround time in Baghdad is just an hour so I don’t think anyone would wanna get a visa for such a short time. But if someone is landing in Baghdad as their final destination, then yeah Iraq does give visa about which information is available on their government’s websites.
What exactly is so weird about this? Oman Air is merely serving two needs - direct Copenhagen-Muscat passengers and serving Iraqi diaspora based in Scandinavia. Stop making it sound like it's so freaking weird when there's sense to it ffs.