The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Friday that it has fined Air Canada $250,000 for operating flights in 2022 and 2023 in banned Iraqi airspace.
The agency had jurisdiction because these flights carried the United Airlines designation code. The violations occurred on numerous flights between the United Arab Emirates and Toronto in airspace banned by the Federal Aviation Administration for U.S. operators.
The FAA cited the “complex security environment” that exists over Iraq in banning flights. Air Canada must pay a $125,000 fine and must pay an additional $125,000 if it violates the order again within a year. Air Canada ceased codeshare with United on this route in January 2023.
Air Canada said the “incidents were brief, unplanned and unintentional and were attributable to several factors, including air traffic control restrictions and a move to a larger aircraft that required more time to reach a sufficient altitude and safety was not compromised. The carrier added that it had taken measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.
In June, Emirates was fined $1.5 million by the transport ministry for operating flights coded as JetBlue Airways over Iraqi airspace. It was the second time she had been fined since 2020.
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