Historic Iraq-UK Flight Completed

The first passenger flight between Iraq and the UK for 20 years has landed at London Gatwick airport. The Iraqi Airways flight had been due to take off from Baghdad nine days ago, but was grounded by the volcanic ash cloud drifting over Europe.

The flight, nearly a year behind its original schedule, is the first since the UN imposed sanctions after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

It stopped in Malmo, Sweden, for security checks en route to Gatwick. Flight IA237 touched down at 2308 BST on Sunday having left Baghdad 10 hours earlier.

Thirty foreign and Iraqi passengers were on board, including transport minister Amer Abduljabbar Ismail and Iraqi Airways chief Kifah Hassan.

There are expected to be two flights a week between Baghdad and Gatwick, which is just outside London in West Sussex. Flights from Iraq will go via Malmo, but will make the return non-stop, reports BBC.