Shafaq News-Baghdad

Iraqi Airwaysannounced Tuesday the launch of a direct flight route between Erbil, capital ofthe Kurdistan Region, and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, with weekly servicebeginning Thursday.

Iraq's CivilAviation Authority reopened the country's airspace and all airports on April 8,following a temporary closure imposed amid hostilities between the UnitedStates and Israel on one side and Iran on the other.