Iraq suspends flights to Turkey shortly after reopening

The Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) halted all flights from the country to Turkey on August 3 due to the increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 in Turkey. The decision was announced shortly after Iraq reopened Baghdad and regional airports to international flights on July 23, following a four-month-long suspension of such operations caused by the pandemic. According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Turkish Airlines, Iraqi Airways, Fly Baghdad, and UR Airlines operate scheduled flights between the two countries (UR Airlines as scheduled charters). Analysis of Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows that none of them resumed services from Baghdad to Turkey during the brief window when they were permitted. However, Turkish Airlines resumed its services from Istanbul New to Erbil but operated only one flight on August 2 before the suspension became effective.