Iraq closes northern airspace over missiles launched at Syria (updated)
23/11/2015 13:02
* Russian missiles from Caspian pass through Iraqi airspace
* Spokesman says change in missiles' route prompted closure
* Suspensions could last for more than two days
(Adds additional flight suspensions)
BAGHDAD, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Iraq closed its northern
airspace to commercial flights on Monday for at least two days
due to military traffic from Russia's air campaign in
neighbouring Syria, a spokesman for Erbil International Airport
said.
The closure was expected to affect domestic routes to Erbil
and Sulaimaniya as well as international flights from Turkey,
Jordan, the Gulf and Austria.
Iraq's civil aviation authority said in a statement that
flight suspensions had been made "to protect travellers and
because of the crossing of cruise missiles and bombers in the
northern part of Iraq launched from the Caspian Sea".
Russia began launching cruise missiles and long-range
bombers from warships in the Caspian last month, passing over
Iran and Iraq and covering a distance of some 1,500 km (900
miles) to reach their targets. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N1272JA
The Erbil airport spokesman said a change in the missiles'
route brought them "uncomfortably close" to the airport, without
providing more details.
A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, which conducts some
operations near Erbil airport, said he was not aware of the
cause for the shutdown. The coalition has been bombing Islamic
State targets in Iraq and Syria for more than a year separately
from the Russian campaign.
The director of Erbil airport said in a statement the
suspension could last longer than the initial 48 hours. Emirates
Airlines EMIRA.UL said it had cancelled flights to Erbil until
Thursday.
Moscow also uses bombers from Russian air bases to launch
air strikes it says have been requested by Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad. It contends its main target is Islamic State
militants who control large swathes of Syria and Iraq, but it
has been accused of hitting other targets, including territory
occupied by Western-backed rebels. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N1203SA
U.S. officials said last month four missiles launched from
Russian warships in the Caspian Sea had crashed in Iran, but
Moscow insisted they had reached their targets in Syria.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N1281S4
The terrain-hugging Kalibr cruise missiles, which NATO has
codenamed Sizzler, fly at an altitude of 50 metres (164 feet)
and are accurate to within three metres, the Russian Defence
Ministry says.
(Reporting by Stephen Kalin and Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad,
Isabel Coles in Erbil and Nadia Saleem in Dubai; Editing by Alan
Crosby and Gareth Jones)
((stephen.kalin@thomsonreuters.com; +961 81639179; Reuters
Messaging: stephen.kalin.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: MIDEAST CRISIS/IRAQ AIRLINES