Iraq loses $250,000 per day due to airspace closure
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq lost at least $250,000 per day after deciding to close its airspace due to the exchange of missile attacks between Iran and Israel.
Before the conflict arose, more than 700 planes flew over Iraq on a daily basis, and many of them have since been redirected to other countries' airspace, according to Shafaq News.
Foreign airlines' service charge losses do not include those incurred by Iraqi Airways, Iraq's national carrier, which has ceased the majority of its domestic and international flights.
According to Iraqi specialists, a passenger airplane using Iraqi airspace pays $450 in transit fees, while cargo airplanes spend roughly $700.
Member of the Iraqi parliament's transport committee, Amer Abdul-Jabbar, indicated that Iraq has incurred significant losses since the airspace was closed on June 13 due to the Iran-Israel war.
According to Abdul-Jabbar, direct losses are expected to be more than $250,000 a day, excluding losses incurred by Iraqi Airways as well as indirect costs incurred by foreign airlines, Iraq's airports, and ground services within the country.
After Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on June 13, claiming that it was preventing Tehran from getting nuclear weapons, airlines continued to avoid huge sections of the Middle East.
This avoidance was due to ongoing missile confrontations between Israel and Iran, the latest disruption in the region.
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