The U.S. Department of Transportation imposed of $1.5 million fine on Gulf carrier Emirates for operating flights in prohibited airspace. The DOT says the airline flew below the required altitude on flights a significant number of times between the UAE and US. The US has the jurisdiction to sanction Emirates as the Gulf carrier at the time carried US based JetBlue’s code as a codeshare partner. It said Emirates flew over Iraq too low on a number of occasions between December 2021 to August 2022. This violated an earlier action from 2020, which had already fined Emirates for operating flights in restricted airspace. Under the 2020 consent order, Emirates was liable to additional fines if it breached the order within a year. Emirates claimed Iraqi air traffic control denied access to higher altitude or specifically instructed pilots to fly at a lower level. “Our pilots duly followed ATC instructions, a decision which is fully aligned with international aviation regulations for safety reasons,” a spokesperson said. The FAA had banned all US airlines from operating below a certain altitude in the region due to safety concerns. 

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