Flights between Baghdad and northern Iraq suspended for security reasons

Civilian flights between Baghdad and northern Iraq have been suspended for security, not political reasons, a member of the Security and Defence Committee in the Iraqi Parliament said on Monday.

Ali Mutaiona told Anadolu news agency that the suspension of flights from Baghdad International Airport to Erbil and Sulaimaniya provinces relates to the safety of Iraqi airspace. “We must protect travellers on board flights departing from and coming to Baghdad,” he insisted. “The decision to suspend flights is not linked to any other reasons, whether political or otherwise; it is a security measure.”

The year-long fighting with Daesh/ISIS militants has made the journey by road between Baghdad and northern Iraq very risky, and has led to an increase in the number of domestic flights. The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announced on Sunday night that the flight suspension is scheduled to last for 48 hours. There are concerns, it said, about the possibility of civilian aircraft being hit by cruise missiles fired from the Caspian Sea, Iran and Iraq towards Syria.

Iraq has four civilian airports, the largest of which is Baghdad International, followed by Basra, Najaf, and Mosul. The northern region has two airports, in Erbil and Sulaimaniya.