Qatar’s national carrier launched direct flights to the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday – the first such commercial flight since the Gulf War.

“This flight is the first flight between Doha and Baghdad since the invasion of Kuwait, 22 years ago,” Iraq’s transport minister Karim al-Nuri told Agence France Presse.

Qatar Airways already flies to to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, and direct flights to Najaf are due to start as well. The Doha-Baghdad flight is scheduled to run four times a week.

Credit: Photo of Baghdad Airport by Omar Chatriwala