ERBIL () - Iran has announced the suspension of flights from Tehran to Baghdad and Muscat beginning at midnight Tuesday, while authorities coordinate to redirect flights previously bound for Baghdad to Najaf International Airport.
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization announced the decision on Tuesday, with the Iranian Tasnim news agency quoting the organization’s spokesperson as saying that Baghdad and Muscat airports would stop receiving Iranian flights from 24:00 local time.
The spokesperson said consultations and coordination were underway to redirect flights that had been scheduled to travel to Baghdad so that they would instead land at Najaf International Airport.
At the same time, flights operated by Iran’s Homa airline from Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan to Najaf International Airport will continue according to their existing schedules without changes.
The spokesperson added that other international flights, including those to Istanbul, were operating normally and without obstacles.
The announcement comes as Iraq’s Ministry of Transportation has decided to bar Iranian aircraft from operating at Iraqi airports starting at midnight, following US Treasury sanctions targeting Iranian airlines.
However, Erbil International Airport has not received a decision to suspend flights to and from Iran, according to a source at the airport who spoke to on Tuesday.
also obtained confirmed information from Iraq’s Ministry of Transport and Baghdad International Airport that Iranian aircraft will be barred from operating flights across Iraq.
According to Baghdad International Airport, two companies responsible for handling and arranging air travel services notified the airport on Tuesday that they could no longer provide services to Iranian aircraft.
The decision means Iranian aircraft will not be permitted to land at Iraqi airports from midnight, including in emergency or urgent situations.
Despite the broader decision affecting Iranian aircraft at Iraqi airports, the status of flights between Erbil International Airport and Iran remains unchanged for now, according to the airport source.
