Iraq lifts restrictions on civilian use of airspace

Iraq said it had returned restricted airspace in the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending ​limits that had been in place for military operations since ‌2016, the Iraqi transport ministry said.

The ministry said all previously reserved zones stretching across western Iraq from north to south had been handed over ​to the authority responsible for airports and air navigation for use ​by civil aviation.

The move is expected to give Iraqi ⁠aviation authorities more room to redesign flight routes, ease restrictions on ​aircraft movement and improve the efficiency of airspace use.

Earlier, the restricted areas had ​been designated for military operations, when large parts of Iraq's western desert were used as bases for those operations.