Oman Air’s Unusual Muscat-Copenhagen Flight via Baghdad: Check Your Itinerary Carefully

Imagine booking a flight for your next holiday. You're excited and looking forward to it. Then you go back to your ticket reservation and realize the flight will be making a stopover in Baghdad of all places. Well if you're not careful that could happen when booking a flight on Oman Air from Scandinavia to Muscat.

A “Direct” Flight That Isn't Actually Direct

Let's start off with a key distinction. I've talked about this extensively in a dedicated post. There is a substantial, yet often overlooked, difference between a direct and a nonstop flight.

Direct vs Nonstop: Why the Difference Matters

A nonstop flight will make no stops along the way and get you from point A to point B as fast as possible. A direct flight on the other hand is a flight that takes you from point A to point B, however, nowhere does it say there might not be stopovers along the way.

The Case of Oman Air Flight WY425

That is exactly the case of Oman Air's WY425 from Muscat to Copenhagen. The service is legitimately a direct flight, all while making a stopover in Baghdad International Airport in Iraq.

Now, Iraq is a much safer place than it was some years back but I can see how it would make most travelers uneasy to say the least making a stopover there.

The Technical Stop in Baghdad

The stop in Baghdad, Iraq, is stated to be a technical one for Oman Air flight WY425. It boils down to the aircraft type's performance capabilities, as far as I can tell.

Aircraft Choice: Why the Boeing 737 MAX 8 Is the Key Factor

Looking as some facts, the aircraft type used is a Boeing 737 MAX 8. As for many other European services Oman Air uses its narrow body fleet for Copenhagen too.

By using this aircraft achieving vital higher load factors is made easier. It also means that the operational cost is lower than using a wide body plane. Therefore, achieving profitability is made easier for Oman Air on a new route which still needs to prove it can work.

Range, Fuel Margins, and Real-World Operations

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 range should allow it to fly somewhere in between 3,500 and 3,800 miles. The Muscat to Copenhagen route clocks in at 3,200 miles, which is very close to the aircraft's range limit, if you also take into account the need to carry holding and diversion fuel.

Therefore stopping somewhere along the way is the way to go to comfortably operate the route using the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Oman Air didn't opt for any of the major airports and went for Baghdad instead.

Why Baghdad? Cost, Access, and Network Strategy

Why? I can only speculate as I don't have an official explanation. My reading of this is that Baghdad offers a cheaper stopover solution in airport taxes and other charges compared to other bigger airports.

An Important Detail: Flight WY425 Is Also Sold in Segments

It must be noted that despite this being a technical stop, Oman Air will allow passengers to book the single Muscat to Baghdad flight and same goes for flights between Baghdad and Copenhagen. A way of making the most of this flight as there aren't many other Europe to Iraq direct flight solutions.

Route Breakdown: Muscat – Baghdad – Copenhagen

The flight itself is a longer than a nonstop solution due to the stopover in Baghdad, with a total flight time 9 hours 25 minutes on the outbound leg and 8 and a half on the return leg. So if you're after saving time or not stopping in Baghdad of all things, then look at other options. As for the timing of the flight here's how it works:

Outbound: Muscat (MCT) → Copenhagen (CPH) via Baghdad

• Departs Muscat (MCT) at 13:00 arriving in Baghdad (BGW) at 14:55.
• Performs a technical stop in Baghdad of 1 hour.
• Departs Baghdad (BGW) at 15:55 arriving into Copenhagen (CPH) at 19:25.

Return: Copenhagen (CPH) → Muscat (MCT) via Baghdad

• Departs Copenhagen (CPH) at 20:25 arriving in Baghdad (BGW) at 03:25 the next morning.
• Performs a technical stop in Baghdad of 1 hour.
• Departs Baghdad (BGW) at 04:25 arriving into Muscat (MCT) at 08:00.

Why This Routing Is Unusual for Gulf-Scandinavia Flights

The reason why this is such an unusual routing for a Gulf carrier resides in the aircraft chosen to operate the route. The Boeing 737 MAX 8, as its primary competitor the A321neo, is a fantastic plane to operate longer routes with limited demand.

The fact that Oman is still a niche destination doesn't allow to use larger planes as other gulf carriers do. Planes such as A330s, A350s, 787s, and 777s that would have the rage to cover the route non-stop.

However, there might also be a secondary reason to operate flight WY425 with the stop Baghdad. That would be to experiment operating a route between Europe and Iraq and possibly transporting cargo in and out of Iraq, which is also a lucrative business.

Always Check the Full Routing, Not Just the Price

Summing things up, that's why I always advise to look carefully at the complete routing of the flight you are interested in booking. If you only stop at a superficial level and look at the departure and destination airports you might miss significant details such as a stop in Baghdad. With that happy flying and I hope you have a phenomenal 2026.