RJ resumes flights to Iraq after 24-hour suspension

AMMAN — Royal Jordanian (RJ) on Sunday resumed its regular operations to Baghdad, Erbil and Basra following a 24-hour suspension, while it is expecting to resume flights to Suleimaniyah soon, according to a statement by the national carrier. 

Flights to Baghdad were suspended on Saturday, citing the deteriorating security situation in Iraq that has already led other airlines such as Emirates to reroute several flight paths scheduled to cross Iraqi airspace. 

RJ currently operates regular flights to five Iraqi cities: 11 weekly flights to Baghdad, nine to Erbil, four to Basra, four to Suleimaniyah and two weekly flights to Mosul. Flights to Mosul had been suspended as of June 10, when the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other rebel groups took hold of the city and large swathes of Iraqi territory.

The number of destinations RJ is halting still due to security reasons and instability in the region amounts to six, including Damascus, Aleppo, Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata, Tel Aviv and Mosul. 

RJ has reported “big losses” as a result of destination closures and expects a further decline in revenue as a result of the measures taken.