Iraq-Turkey railway project might be riddled with caveats: The proposed 1.2k km railway between Iraq and Turkey is facing major difficulties because of high costs, Iraqi outlet Al Mada reported, citing a report by the Washington-based Arab Gulf States Institute. Iraq initially budgeted phase one of the Development Road project at USD 17 bn, but estimates now exceed USD 20 bn. Securing the funds while keeping in mind the geographical and security complexities may push completion to 2038.

Refresher: Iraq’s ambitious high-speed rail project aims to reduce travel time between Asia and Europe. The project was initially planned to be completed in three stages, with the first phase scheduled for completion by 2028, the second in 2038, and the third in 2050.

Australia’s Cairns Airport is in talks with Qatar Airways to add more weekly flights, shortly after the Australian government blocked the airline’s plans to increase flights to the country’s four largest cities, Simple Flying reports. Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker says that increasing the airport’s capacity would lower prices throughout the industry. Australia’s Gold Coast Airport has also reportedly been in talks for Qatar airways to add the Gold Coast to its destinations. Qatar Airways currently has a limit of 28 weekly round-trip flights to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, but the limit does not apply to other Australian destinations, including Cairns and the Gold Coast.

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