Baghdad Airport Reopens After Weather Shutdown as Heavy Rains Sweep Across Iraq
The shutdown began shortly after 12:30 a.m. local time (2130 GMT) when authorities temporarily halted air traffic due to dense fog and low visibility.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Baghdad International Airport resumed operations on Thursday after a 12-hour closure caused by severe weather conditions, the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation announced.
The shutdown began shortly after 12:30 a.m. local time (2130 GMT) when authorities temporarily halted air traffic due to dense fog and low visibility. Najaf International Airport in central Iraq and Sulaimani International Airport in the Kurdistan Region were also forced to suspend flights as the bad weather persisted.
By midday, the ministry confirmed through the state-run INA news agency that airspace had reopened over both Baghdad and Najaf, allowing flight operations to gradually return to normal.
The heavy rains that triggered the closures have drenched large parts of the country over the past two days, leading to widespread flooding, particularly in the Kurdistan Region. Local authorities reported at least three deaths in the Kurdistan Region, including that of a child, as a result of the floods. A major bridge linking Kirkuk to Baghdad also collapsed due to rising water levels.
Despite the damage, officials say the rainfall may help replenish water reserves in drought-stricken Iraq, where artificial lakes recently recorded some of their lowest levels in years following an exceptionally dry season. Iraq, already among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, has faced prolonged drought and declining rainfall for much of the past decade.