Two Airlines Suspend Flights to Baghdad

Two major airlines have suspended their flights to Baghdad following a US attack on a top Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani. Jordan’s Royal Jordanian and Bahrain’s Gulf Air have halted their services to the Iranian capital due to safety concerns.

Jordanian carrier Royal Jordanian had 18 weekly services operated by Embraer E175s. However, the suspension doesn’t affect flights to Iraqi cities of Basra, Irbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, suspended services to Baghdad and Najaf citing “safety and security issues”. News about the suspension was announced on the carrier’s Twitter account.

Gulf Air's 787 spotted at LHR. Photo by Karam Sodhi │ AeroNewsX.

Only Royal Jordanian and Gulf Air have suspended services to Iraq’s capital while other airlines said they are monitoring the situation.

Qatar’s national carrier, Qatar Airways, says the airline would continue to fly to Baghdad “with caution”.

"If any slight change we may cancel - slight change meaning escalation," a Qatar Airways spokesperson said.