Regional flights resume as Syria, Iraq lift airspace restrictions

Syria and Iraq have both announced the reopening of sections of their airspace, lifting temporary flight restrictions that were imposed in recent days due to escalating regional security concerns.

In Damascus, the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed on June 24 that the country's airspace was officially reopened to civilian and commercial aviation as of 10:00 a.m. local time, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Air traffic had been suspended since June 18 amid heightened security alerts.

The Civil Aviation Authority stated in a formal announcement that the airspace had been reopened for navigation and that operations had returned to normal as of 10:00 a.m. on the morning of June 24, following the lifting of restrictions that had been in place since June 18, 2025.

The reopening marks a return to routine operations after nearly a week of suspended flights, although the government did not disclose specific reasons for the original closure.

In a related development, Iraq also moved to ease restrictions on its southern airspace following an Iranian missile strike late hours of June 23, targeting the US Al Udeid airbase in Qatar. The Iraqi government had temporarily halted air traffic in the region as a precautionary measure.

Iraq’s Transport Ministry spokesman Maytham Al-Safi announced the partial reopening after a risk assessment was conducted in coordination with the country's civil aviation authority.

Al-Safi stated that, following an assessment of the situation and the approval of the civil aviation authority, the airspace in southern Iraq had been reopened to air traffic. He added that authorities were continuing to monitor developments closely and that efforts were underway to evaluate the overall airspace with the goal of fully restoring operations across the entire country.

By Vafa Guliyeva