QR Overfly Iraq

[Work Shy]

I have been used to some circuitous detours between Europe and the Gulf following the MH17 tragedy and the public declaration by airlines to avoid overflight of Iraq and Syria (presumably due to a perceived threat of surface to air missiles from ISIS militants).

However, I was checking on the progress of a flight on FlightRadar24 yesterday and was surprised to see the following QR flights overflying Iraq (not just skirting the border, but flying between Basra and Baghdad) at 0757 UTC:

QR103 to Geneva
QR183 to Vienna
QR239 to Istanbul

Every other airline flying between the Gulf and Europe appears to be actively avoiding Iraq. The only other flights visible on FlightRadar24 in Iraqi airspace either originate or terminate in Iraq (so have no choice but to fly in Iraqi airspace).

I am curious why QR are happily overflying Iraq while other airlines appear to be avoiding it. Does anyone have any insight?

[320goat]

I had wandered if anyone else was b

[RoyalEnfield]

Well, we at EK don't overfly Iraq but we are quite happy to fly INTO Baghdad, Erbil and Basrah. Go figure. Personally I'd rather overfly than land there.

[Work Shy]

Thank you, 320goat & RoyalEnfiled, for your replies. I just found this newspaper article from August 2014 trumpeting QR's avoidance of overflying Iraq:

Qatar Airways joins other int'l carriers in avoiding Iraqi airspace - Doha News (http://dohanews.co/qatar-airways-joins-intl-carriers-avoiding-iraqi-airspace/)

Forgive my bluntness, but what has changed? Every other airline appears to still be actively avoiding Iraqi airspace!

[fatbus]

EK into Baghdad and Erbil, when did they restart?

[320goat]

Deemed safe above FL320

[SOPS]

How high do SAMS go?

[ItsMeFromEarth]

depends, if it is uncle Sam, he can go very far.

[Work Shy]

"Deemed safe above FL320"

Deemed safe by who? Do you have a source, please?

[Stone_cold]

Who else ? There is only one decision maker there .

[Rule3]

Turkish Airlines, Sun Turk {PGT} and MEA all overfly Iraq both inbound and outbound to Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Muscat.

[Capn Rex Havoc]

Fatbus- Baghdad never stopped, Erbil started again about a week ago.

[Rule3]

Turkish now avoiding Iraq. Tonight QTR for Warsaw went via Iraq at FL300.

[Schnowzer]

SOPS:

It depends on the SAM, Manpads typically 10k, SA-6 up to about 30k but that is an effective range, the rocket will fly higher than that and might get lucky, a Tornado was shot down by a ballistic (no guidance) SA2 in GW1.

I am not sure which rockets the crazies got when they over ran the Iraqis early on.

[SOPS]

Thanks Schnowzer. I had a feeling Fl 320 seemed a bit arbitrary.

[Flytdeck]

Qatar has elected to allow operations over Iraq for all freighters and flights to specific European destinations (other destinations still avoid Iraq overflight). Minimum altitude FL320.

Crimea still restricted.

[SOPS]

Operations over Iraq for all freighters? So the crew is expandable? Lovely.

[Flytdeck]

Believe that the media reported after the FedEx crash that killed two pilots that there were "no significant fatalities".