Emirates Slapped With $1.8 Million Fine for Flights in Off-Limits Regions, Including Iraq

By Madz Dizon

Jun 14 2024, 06:25 AM EDT

Emirates Slapped With $1.8 Million Fine for Flights in Off-Limits Regions, Including Iraq — An Emirates Airlines plane lands at Dubai International Airport in Dubai on October 17, 2023. KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

The Transportation Department announced on Thursday (June 14) that it has imposed a fine of $1.8 million on Emirates, a Middle Eastern airline.

Emirates Airlines Settles Us Fine

The fine was levied due to flights conducted by Emirates in regions that are restricted for US airlines. According to AP News, during this time, JetBlue Airways was permitted to sell seats on these planes.

In a statement, an Emirates spokesperson announced that the airline has reached a settlement with the US Department of Transport (DOT) regarding an alleged breach of Special Federal Aviation Regulations (SFAR).

These regulations restricted airlines carrying a US air-carrier code from operating below 32,000 ft while over Iraqi airspace, Gulf News reported.

A considerable number of flights between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, spanning from December 2021 to August 2022, are implicated in the fine due to their routes passing over Iraq.

In 2020, Emirates, a UAE-based airline, was fined $400,000 for conducting flights that violated regulations. As a result, the airline agreed to refrain from committing the same violation in the future.

JetBlue and Emirates had a partnership known as code-sharing, where JetBlue sold seats on Emirates flights as if they were their own. Foreign airlines are permitted to operate flights under the name or code of a US airline in the United States, as long as they adhere to the restrictions set by the Federal Aviation Administration.

US Airlines Restrictions

For safety reasons, the FAA has implemented a restriction on US airlines, requiring them to fly over Iraq at altitudes of 32,000 feet or higher.

As per a consent order, Emirates has stated that the flights were initially intended to maintain an altitude above 32,000 feet. However, they were instructed by air traffic controllers to fly at lower altitudes.

As part of the consent order, Emirates can have $300,000 of the fine waived if they successfully comply with US restrictions for one year.

In October 2022, Emirates and JetBlue decided to terminate their code-sharing partnership. Interestingly, just a few months later, Emirates entered into a new code-sharing agreement with United Airlines.