Iraq’s Ministry of Transport announced the temporary closure of flights at Baghdad International Airport due to an emergency technical failure, stressing that work to rectify the defects is underway in preparation for reopening within hours.
Defective runway lighting
Security officials said a malfunction in the lighting system on one of the runways early Wednesday disrupted landing operations.
The defect made it impossible to complete landing operations in accordance with approved safety standards and required immediate action.
Turkish plane turns back
The official said the Turkish Airlines plane, which had arrived from Istanbul, was forced to hover in the air for a while after the runway lights went out, and then decided to return to its original destination as it became impossible to land.
He noted that arriving flights were informed that landings and takeoffs would be temporarily canceled without declaring a complete closure of the airport or airspace.
Iraq’s Ministry of Transport announced the temporary closure of air traffic at Baghdad International Airport due to an emergency technical failure and confirmed that work was underway to resolve the issue with a view to reopening within hours.
Runway lighting failure
A failure in the lighting system on one of the runways disrupted landing operations in the early hours of Wednesday, security officials said.
The defect made it impossible to complete landing operations in accordance with approved safety standards and required immediate action.
Turkish aircraft returns
The Turkish Airlines plane, which arrived from Istanbul, had to circle in the air for a while after the runway lights went out, but was unable to land and decided to return to its original destination, the official said.
He noted that no complete closure of the airport or airspace was announced, and incoming flights were notified to temporarily suspend landings and takeoffs.
