Iraqi airports suspend Iran flights amid US sanctions pressure
Four airports have halted routes to and from Iran, disrupting a key air link used by pilgrims and other travellers.
Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports have suspended flights to and from Iran following new US aviation sanctions on companies doing business with Iranian airlines, Al Jazeera reported.
The suspensions affect a major route between the two countries, including travel by Iraqi pilgrims to Iran’s holy cities and Iranian visitors to sacred sites in Iraq. Al Jazeera reported that passengers would need to travel overland, with journey times depending on their destination.
Najaf airport director Hussein Muhanna told AFP the halt there followed a directive from the prime minister’s office to Najaf’s governor. Iraq’s central government had made no public statement on the suspensions at the time of Al Jazeera’s report.
An Iranian airline employee at Najaf told AFP carriers usually operated at least 20 flights a day there. Four flights to other destinations remained scheduled on Friday after the suspension, the employee said.
Al Jazeera reported that Iraq had been a leading destination for Iranian airlines, particularly after Iraqi airlines stopped flying to Iran in February. The report said some other regional countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, had also cancelled or restricted Iran flights in response to US sanctions.
