The Transportation Department announced on Thursday that it has imposed a fine of $1.8 million on Middle Eastern airline Emirates for conducting flights in regions that are off-limits to U.S. airlines. This penalty was issued due to a 'significant number' of flights that took place between December 2021 and August 2022, passing over Iraq on routes between the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Emirates, based in the UAE, had previously been fined $400,000 in 2020 for similar violations and had committed to avoiding a repeat of such infractions. The airline had a code-sharing agreement with JetBlue Airways, allowing the New York-based carrier to sell seats on Emirates flights as part of its own offerings. This practice is permitted by the U.S. government as long as foreign airlines adhere to Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
