Two airlines suspend flights to Baghdad over security concerns after US air strike that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani
- Jordan’s flag carrier Royal Jordanian and Bahrain’s Gulf Air announced they would halt flights to the Iraqi capital
- Other airlines in the region say they are monitoring the situation
Two Middle East airlines suspended flights to the Iraqi capital on Friday as a protective measure after the US killed a top Iranian commander in an air strike near Baghdad’s airport.
Jordan’s flag carrier Royal Jordanian issued a statement saying it had “decided to halt its services between Amman and Baghdad … until further notice, in light of the security situation in the city and at Baghdad International Airport”.
The airline operates 18 flights per week between Amman and Baghdad, the statement said, adding that routes to other Iraqi cities have not been affected.
Bahrain’s Gulf Air also suspended flights to and from Baghdad and the shrine city of Najaf south of the capital until further notice “due to safety and security issues”, the carrier said on Twitter.
The United States carried out an air strike that killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and nine others, including members of an Iraqi pro-Iranian group, outside Baghdad’s airport early on Friday.