Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Airways suspended all flights until April 1 after escalating hostilities between Iran and the United States and Israel disrupted aviation across the Middle East.

According to an official document, the company also suspended ticket changes and refunds, converting existing tickets into travel credit that passengers can reuse later without penalties.

The decision follows a sharp deterioration in regional security after US and Israeli strikes targeted Iranian sites, prompting Tehran to respond with missile and drone attacks on targets in Israel and parts of the Gulf and Iraq.

Air traffic across the Middle East has been heavily disrupted as several countries closed their airspace and airlines rerouted or cancelled flights due to security risks. Industry monitoring platforms reported widespread flight suspensions as carriers avoid corridors that normally connect Europe with the Gulf and Asia.

Germany’s largest airline, Lufthansa, announced that it would avoid flying over Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, eastern Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Israel until March 8.

The aviation disruptions intensified after Iranian state media reported that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed during US and Israeli missile strikes, which also reportedly killed several senior Iranian military officials, including IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour. Iran has since declared 40 days of national mourning, while governments and airlines continue to reassess security risks as tensions in the region remain high.