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Iraq has not rerouted commercial flights over Persian Gulf: officials
[Rudaw] Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s aviation authorities have not rerouted commercial flights away from the Persian Gulf, nor have they discussed doing so in response to the shooting down of a US drone by an Iranian surface-to-air missile on Thursday, officials said Saturday."Now boarding: Martyrdom Airlines Flights 647 and 182" Major international airlines including Emirates and Etihad announced on Friday they are rerouting some of their flights to avoid a passenger jet being mistakenly identified as a military aircraft and potentially shot down. The potential for such a disaster is fresh in the minds of airlines and policymakers following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014. Iran  ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneouslytaking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militiasto extend the regime's influence. The word Iranis a cognate form of Aryan,the abbreviation IRGCis a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA),the term Supreme Guideis a cognate form of either Shahor Führeror maybe both, and they hate Air Flight 655 was accidentally shot down by the US Navy over the Strait of Hormuz on July 3, 1988, killing all 290 people on board. Speaking to Rudaw English on Saturday, Anwar Hama Amin, commander of the Iraqi Air Force, said there had been no changes to the flight routes of airlines operating from Iraqi and the Kurdistan Region’s airports. Amin downplayed the potential threat, saying aviation authorities have not even discussed the issue. In fact, Iraq’s airspace has seen an increase in flights in recent weeks, he added. Sulaimani’s international airport told Rudaw English on Saturday there had been no changes to flight routes among its partner airlines. Dana Mohammed, front man for Sulaimani International Airport, said: "There have not been any changes in the routes." Airport management has not discussed the issue with airlines, but is monitoring the situation, he said. Responsibly for changing flight routes lies with the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority and the airlines themselves. Rudaw English has approached the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority and Erbil and Baghdad’s international airports for comment, but is yet to receive a reply. The Kurdistan Region’s airports saw a significant rise in the number of travelers in the first five months of 2019. According to data supplied to Rudaw by Erbil and Sulaimani airports, 901,220 passengers arrived and departed between January 1 and May 31 ‐ an average of 6,000 people per day. Erbil alone saw 369,779 departures and 361,441 arrivals ‐ a total of 731,220. Posted by: trailing wife 2019-06-23 |
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