Iraq records 1,300+ overflights in June as air traffic rebounds

Shafaq News- Baghdad

1,346 aircraft crossed Iraqi airspace in June, alongside more than 6,600 arriving and departing civilian flights across the country's airports, Iraq's Ministry of Transport announced on Thursday.

The Iraqi General Company for Air Navigation Services recorded 3,311 arriving civilian flights, including domestic and international services, and 3,347 departing civilian flights.

According to official statistics, Baghdad International Airport handled the highest volume of traffic, recording 1,570 arriving flights and 1,576 departing flights. Erbil International Airport, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, ranked second with 696 arriving flights and 692 departing flights. Najaf International Airport recorded 507 arriving flights and 513 departing flights, while Basra International Airport handled 258 arriving flights and 288 departing flights. Al-Sulaymaniyah International Airport registered 146 arriving flights and the same number of departures. Kirkuk International Airport recorded 134 arriving flights and 132 departing flights.

On June 8, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announced the reopening of Iraqi airspace to flights operating to and from all Iraqi airports and the resumption of air traffic under approved operational procedures. The airspace had been closed following the outbreak of the US-Israel war against Iran, which prompted Iraq to suspend air traffic as a precautionary measure.