Emirates, flydubai cancel Baghdad flights

Dubai airlines Emirates and flydubai have cancelled flights to Baghdad on Wednesday following the missile attacks launched by Iran on US bases in Iraq.

Emirates flights EK943 from Dubai to Baghdad and return flight EK944 on January 8 have been cancelled for “operational reasons”, the airline said.

“We are carefully monitoring the developments and are in close contact with the relevant government authorities with regards to our flight operations, and will make further operational changes if required,” a statement said.

“The safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority and will not be compromised.”

Flydubai also cancelled its flight to Baghdad on Wednesday, but said flights to Basra and Najaf will operate as scheduled.

Iran fired dozens of missiles at US bases in Iraq on Tuesday night, following a US strike killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani last week.

Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Qantas Airways Ltd and Srilankan Airlines altered their routes to avoid Iranian airspace. Other carriers in the Middle East continue to fly over Iran and Iraq, based on data from Flightradar24.com.

With inputs from Bloomberg