Iraqi Airways has resumed flying.

As of Saturday, Iraqi Airways will fly once daily to Amman and Damascus, Aghabi said. Another route to the United Arab Emirates will be added later, he said, without specifying when.



An Iraqi Airways Boeing 737, flight number IA164, left Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport at 8:30 a.m. bound for Baghdad Airport, Aghabi said. He declined to say how many passengers were on board.



Round-trip airfare from Amman to Baghdad is $750, he said.

The airline is currently operating a new Boeing 737, though it must do so across treacherous skies:

Iraqi insurgents have taken aim at some commercial and military flights over Baghdad, firing rockets at aircraft flying to and from the airport, which also is used by the U.S. military.



To avoid rocket fire, planes are forced to make sharp maneuvers while staying within a secure perimeter over the airport.

The airline is currently working to bring back planes from abroad which they say were grounded in Jordan, Tunisia and Iran. It’s unclear what the operating condition of those aircraft is. None of the other planes in Iraq owned by the airline are in operating condition, and most certainly the carrier has not been subject to an ICAO safety audit.

Interestingly, Iraqi Airways is considering purchase of five Airbus aircraft.