SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraq said on Monday international airlines have resumed using the country’s airspace after a seven-year hiatus.
“The international airlines have resumed flying through Iraqi airspace since the beginning of February,” said Nizar Ibrahim al-Ziyadi, the director of the General Company for Air Navigation Services in Iraq, according to Anadolu agency.
The airlines include British Airways, Air France, Air Canada, Royal Dutch Airlines, and Swiss air loaned, Ziyadi said in a statement.
He added that the resumption of international flights through Iraqi airspace came after the U.S. Federal Aviatjon administration (FAA) decided to reduce restrictions on the use of Iraqi airspace to below 32,000 feet.
The FAA issued a warning in 2014 deeming Iraqi airspace unsafe for airlines due to the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) militants, which Iraq defeated in 2017. The group still has sleeper cells that carry out sporadic attacks against civilians and security force in the country.
