US requests flight route changes in Iraq, airspace remains open

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The US military has requested Iraqi authorities to divert civilian aircraft from specific air corridors for security reasons, A security source told Shafaq News on Thursday, clarifying that this does not amount to a closure of Baghdad International Airport or a full shutdown of Iraqi airspace.

The airport remains operational, and no Iraqi directive has been issued to close the country’s airspace on Thursday evening, the source stressed. The request, he said, “is limited to designating certain routes and keeping civilian flights away from them to ensure aviation safety.”

Shafaq News was unable to obtain an immediate comment from Iraqi authorities regarding the request.

The development comes a day after Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority reopened airspace and resumed civilian flights on April 8, 2026, following improved security conditions after a ceasefire between the United States and Iran. Iraq had closed its airspace for 40 days amid regional military escalation.