Virgin Atlantic To Pay $1Mln Fine For Flying Over Iraqi Airspace - US Transportation Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2023) The British airline Virgin Atlantic will have to pay a more than $1 million fine for operating flights over restricted airspace over Iraq while carrying the code of US carrier Delta Airlines, the US Department of Transportation said in a press release.

"The US Department of Transportation today fined Virgin Atlantic $1.05 million for operating flights carrying Delta Air Lines' code (DL) in regions in which a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight prohibition was in effect," the release said on Tuesday. "The airline was ordered to cease and desist from future similar violations.

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An investigation by the Transportation Department found that Virgin Atlantic conducted a significant number of flights between September 16, 2020 and September 16, 2021, and in this way violated the conditions of its statement of authorization and US federal law, the release added.

The FAA Notice to Air Missions prohibits flight operations in the Baghdad flight information region at altitudes below flight level 320 by all US air carriers and US commercial operators, among others, due to a complex security environment and the associated safety-of-flight hazards.