Iraq airspace transit flights return to normal after overnight disruption

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Transit flights through Iraqi airspace, which had nearly halted during overnight hours, returned to normal levels by morning, officials said. No formal decision to close the airspace was issued and no flights were cancelled or postponed, according to the officials. The disruption, lasting several hours after midnight, eased first with limited movements toward Erbil International Airport. By early morning, air traffic across Iraqi airspace had reached routine levels. Civil aviation sources said the airspace had become fully stable and safe. Some international airlines had temporarily rerouted their flights overnight because of recent military and security developments in the region. The carriers resumed their normal schedules once conditions stabilized, the officials said. Iraqi airspace has recently served as an alternative route for regional air traffic because of restrictions imposed on the airspace of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Israel.