Iraq kicks off repatriation flights for citizens stuck abroad
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Iraq launched its first evacuation flight from Lebanon bringing home 234 citizens, following regional airspace closures triggered by the Iran-Israel war, a source in the Ministry of Transport told Shafaq News.
Iraq planned emergency evacuation flights to repatriate nationals stranded in Lebanon, Turkiye, and Georgia. Transport Minister Razzaq al-Saadawi said Iraqi carriers received overflight clearance from Cyprus, allowing flights to operate via Basra International Airport.
Additionally, Lebanese media reported that the Iraqi Airways plane had departed from Basra to Beirut as part of a temporary arrangement between Iraq's national carrier and Lebanon's Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Under the agreement, flights will continue to shuttle both Lebanese nationals from Iraq and Iraqis from Lebanon, with two daily trips scheduled until airports in Baghdad and Najaf reopen.
Iraq's chargé d'affaires in Syria, Yassin Sharif Al-Hujaymi, stated in a press comment that 'there are no Iraqi nationals stranded in Damascus.'
The Bahraini national carrier, Gulf Air, announced that it would extend the suspension of its scheduled flights to and from Baghdad and Najaf in Iraq, as well as the Jordanian capital, Amman, until June 27, 2025. The airline confirmed that it closely monitors developments and is working with its partners to assist affected passengers, ensuring their accommodation and transport to their destinations.
Meanwhile, a source in the Iraqi government denied reports circulating about the closure of Iraq's embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran, due to intensified Israeli attacks. The source told Al Arabiya that 'some embassy staff in Tehran have voluntarily departed.'
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