TEHRAN - Iran’s Mahan Air has launched direct flights between the Persian Gulf island of Kish and Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah as its maiden flight touched down on the southern Iranian island on Sunday.

The round service is scheduled twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays, Mehr reported on Monday.

The flight is aimed to boost passenger and cargo shipment between the two neighboring countries.

Over the past couple of decades, Kish has become a beach resort where visitors can swim, shop and sample a laid-back and relatively liberated local lifestyle. It is home to free-trade-zone status, with ever-growing hotels, shopping centers, apartment blocks, and retail complexes.

AFM/MG