WASHINGTON: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday issued a Notice-To-Airmen (NOTAM) restricting US operators from flying in the airspace above Iraq due to the hazardous situation created by the armed conflict, a press release issued by the FAA said.
In the NOTAM, the FAA cited “the potentially hazardous situation created by the armed conflict between militants associated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Iraqi security forces and their allies” as the reason for the indefinite ban.
The FAA said that the ban extends to “all US air carriers and commercial operators,” as well as US-licensed pilots unless they are flying US-registered aircraft for a foreign operator.
It said that “in an emergency that requires immediate decision and action for the safety of the flight, the pilot in command of an aircraft may deviate from this NOTAM to the extent required by that emergency.”
The flight agency said that it will reevaluate the prohibition by December 31, 2014.
