DOT assesses $425,000 over Delta-coded Iraq flights

The U.S. Department of Transportation assessed Air France $105,000 and KLM $320,000 over flights carrying Delta Air Lines’ code below an FAA altitude restriction in the Baghdad Flight Information Region. The consent orders, announced Oct. 23, 2026, direct both carriers to cease and desist from similar violations.

Reuters reported that $265,000 of the combined $425,000 assessment is due within 60 days. The remaining $160,000 is payable if further violations occur within one year. That means about 62% is due on the reported schedule and about 38% is contingent; the full amount is not unconditionally due at once.

Assessments and flight counts i

KLM’s assessment is just over three times Air France’s. DOT cited more than 100 KLM flights and more than 30 Air France flights, but because both are lower-bound counts covering different periods, they do not establish an exact ratio or a comparable penalty per flight. The counts are DOT’s figures for the flights at issue, not totals for every flight either airline operated over Iraq.

The FAA restriction described by DOT bars U.S. operators and airmen from operating below Flight Level 320 in the Baghdad Flight Information Region. DOT said the restriction was extended through Oct. 26, 2027. Flight Level 320 is the altitude boundary; the restriction is not a blanket ban on flights over Iraq.

Why foreign airlines were cited i

The orders concern flights operated by Air France and KLM while carrying Delta’s designator code. DOT applied its foreign-air-transportation rules to those flights in an area subject to the FAA restriction. The action does not mean every flight by either airline carried Delta’s code or crossed below the altitude limit.

Reuters reported that both airlines argued Iraqi air traffic controllers directed their crews to descend or would not allow them to climb. They also said they believed an exemption for emergency situations applied. Those are the airlines’ stated positions; DOT’s orders still require them to cease similar violations. The orders are DOT consent orders, not court judgments.