13 hours ago
Iraq to repatriate stranded citizens
Shafaq News/ Iraq will begin emergency repatriation flights on Tuesday for nationals stranded in Lebanon, Turkiye, and Georgia, amid airspace closures caused by the Iran-Israel war, Transport Minister Razzaq al-Saadawi confirmed on Monday.
Al-Saadawi told Shafaq News that Cyprus had granted overflight permission to Iraqi carriers, allowing evacuation flights to proceed via Basra International Airport.
The move follows growing appeals from stranded Iraqis abroad. In response, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered the formation of an emergency task force to coordinate the evacuations and manage logistics across affected routes.
Iraq closed its airspace on June 13 following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory and Iran's retaliatory launch of ballistic and hypersonic projectiles toward Israeli cities.
The closure has disrupted civilian air traffic across the Middle East, with global carriers forced to reroute or suspend flights. Iraq's suspension in particular halted transit through a key corridor connecting Europe and the Gulf, compounding delays for nationals and foreign carriers.
Iraq has not yet announced when it will reopen its airspace to commercial traffic, though officials indicated the decision depends on the evolution of the conflict.
