Baghdad Airport grounds flights as new dust storm batters capital

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Baghdad International Airport on Wednesday suspended all flights scheduled for the day as a new dust storm engulfed the capital, according to the aviation authority. 

The flights will remain halted until “bad weather” improves, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority told Iraqi News Agency on Wednesday. 

Visibility in the capital is as low as 500 meters due to the storm, according to the Authority.

The Iraqi meteorological agency said on Wednesday that the dust storms affecting the central and southern regions will continue until the beginning of next week.

Iraq has four international airports, all of which had to suspend their flights due to dust storms in recent weeks. 

Wednesday was the second time an international airport grounded all its flights due to extreme weather this month. In early April, a dust storm battered the Kurdistan Region forcing it to cancel all flights to its two international airports, Erbil International Airport and Sulaimani International Airport. 

Najaf International Airport also canceled flights after a dust storm significantly reduced visibility in the Shiite shrine city. 

Environmental authorities have said that droughts, desertification, and low precipitation are some of the factors behind the increasing number of dust storms in the country. 

According to the United Nations, Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country to the adverse effects of climate change.