Iraq lost $15,000 per hour due to airspace closure

Iraq reportedly lost nearly $15,000 per hour as a result of the temporary closure of its airspace.

Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority had announced the emergency measure starting Sunday for 72 hours over safety concerns following Iran’s missile strikes towards Israel.

However, the country opened its airspace for all inbound, outbound and transit flights on Monday after Iran and Israel halted strikes.

Iraqi airspace witnessed the passage of about 800 aircraft daily before the temporary three-day suspension of air traffic, Shafaq News Agency reported, citing a statement from the Echo Iraq Observatory, a private sector research organisation.

The fees for a single aircraft crossing Iraqi airspace amount to roughly $450, providing daily revenues of about $360,000, it added.

Earlier this month, Omar Hosari, the head of Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport, said in a social media post that the country’s airspace recorded 11,801 overflights in May, a year on year increase of 378 percent.

Middle Eastern airlines are expected to post a net loss of $4.3 billion in 2026, according to the International Air Transport Association, as a result of capacity reductions, flight cancellations, operational disruptions and higher fuel prices that are pushing up operating expenses.

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