Greek air carrier Aegean Airlines became the first European company to land an aircraft at the Baghdad International Airport in Iraq in thirty-five years, the Iraqi transport ministry announced.

In a statement, the country’s ministry said, “The landing signified Iraq’s return to European air transport, inaugurating a new phase of recovery for Iraq’s air freight sector”.

European airlines had not operated direct flights to Baghdad International Airport for security reasons since the early 1990s, when Iraq’s longtime leader Saddam Hussein invaded neighboring Kuwait.

Hussein was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in 2003, which was followed by years of civil conflict, sectarian violence and the rise of armed jihadist groups.

After decades of instability, Iraq has recently begun to regain a degree of stability, with the government seeking to attract foreign investment to bolster the country’s economy.

The Baghdad–Athens–Baghdad route will operate twice a week, with the possibility of adding more flights depending on demand, according to the ministry.

Earlier this year, the Greek airline launched flights to Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, which has been seen as a relative haven of stability in the volatile country.