ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The first flights landed in Iraq on Thursday after the country reopened its airspace, Iraq’s transport ministry said, following nearly 40 days of closure due to the war with Iran that saw repeated attacks across the country and near its airports.
“For the first time after the war and the reopening of Iraqi airspace, two airplanes flew to Iraqi airports,” transportation ministry spokesperson Maytham al-Safi told Rudaw.
Iraq on Wednesday reopened its airspace after 40 days of closure. The decision follows weeks of disruption that began on February 28, when Baghdad shut down its skies due to the war between the United States, Israel and Iran, forcing travelers to rely on land routes and halting a major international transit corridor.
Authorities had extended the closure through March and into early April.
Safi said the first flight was a Flydubai plane to Basra International Airport, while the second was a Royal Jordanian aircraft landing at Baghdad International Airport. He added that Iraqi Airways will resume flights on Friday.
The reopening follows the announcement early Wednesday of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
The US-Israeli war on Iran saw daily strikes on Iraq, especially near Baghdad and Erbil airports, carried out by Iran and Iraqi pro-Iran armed groups claiming to target US interests.
On Wednesday, the Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it would suspend its attacks against US interests in Iraq and the region for two weeks, in line with the ceasefire announcement.
Safi told Rudaw on Wednesday that the closure caused significant financial losses, saying that before the closure, approximately 750 to 850 international flights passed through Iraqi airspace daily, with total losses amounting to around $14.4 million.
Hastyar Qadir contributed to this report from Erbil, Kurdistan Region.
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