GCAA Calls on Georgian Airlines Not to Use Iranian and Iraqi Airspace
The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency has called on Georgian airlines to refrain from using Iranian and Iraqi airspace.
“Based on recommendations issued by the Integrated EU Aviation Security Risk Assessment Group, due to Iranian and Iraqi air space safety risks and the likely causes of the Ukrainian aircraft disaster, the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency calls on airlines registered in Georgia to avoid flying into Iranian and Iraqi airspace,” the agency's statement reads.
Based on information released by European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Iranian and Iraqi airspace has been evaluated as "high-risk" by the Integrated EU Aviation Security Risk Assessment Group, which recommends that flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace should be avoided as a precautionary measure.
The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency also expressed its sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Ukraine International Airlines crash.
The Ukrainian International airliner bound for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, crashed minutes after takeoff from the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran on January 8 amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.
The plane carried mostly Iranians and Iranian Canadians.
On the evening of January 10, Iran’s military announced that they had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet, blaming human error because the plane took ‘an unexpected turn’ toward a military base.
By Ana Dumbadze
Related Story: Iran: We Unintentionally Shot Down the Ukrainian Plane