Fly Baghdad is edging toward a relaunch after the United States removed the Iraqi carrier from its sanctions list on 5 August, with the first planned service expected to be Baghdad-Istanbul using a Boeing 737. Maintenance work is still under way in Baghdad and Istanbul, while the airline prepares a phased return to service after months of disruption.
The delisting restores the carrier’s access to banks, insurers, maintenance providers, lessors and other commercial partners, easing the practical barriers to restarting operations. Fly Baghdad has three Boeing 737s and one Bombardier CRJ200 in its fleet, although the initial operation appears to be limited to a single aircraft. A later expansion to Erbil is also under consideration.
The carrier still faces European Union restrictions, so the U.S. move does not amount to full normalisation across all markets. The exact first flight date has not been confirmed, though the restart is expected during August.