Manchester airport to serve Iraq via Athens

From 1st February, charter airline Viking Hellas Airlines will launch a direct three-times weekly operation to the Greek Capital and at the same time, will start a weekly service between Athens and Erbil, Baghdad and Sulaymanyiah.

Flights to Athens will depart Manchester on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (returning from Athens on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). The carrier also hopes to add a fourth frequency in both directions from March.

Roger Gatt, Viking Hellas' commercial director commented: “We are delighted to be launching our first scheduled services from Manchester and expect the Athens route to be a great success. There is considerable demand for Iraqi services from the UK due to the sizeable expatriate community that currently has very few options to return home; this new service is a lifeline for them."

Andrew Harrison, Manchester airport's commercial director added that the connections available from Athens to the Greek islands and destinations in Iraq will bring greater choice to the north-west region.

Viking Hellas is expecting a delivery of A320s in the Spring which will replace its current fleet of B737-800s and B737-800s.