US fines Emirates $1.5 million for operating in prohibited airspace

The United States Transportation Department said on Thursday it fined Emirates $1.5 million for operating flights carrying JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O), opens new tab designator code in prohibited airspace.

The department said that between December 2021 and August 2022, Emirates operated a significant number of flights carrying the JetBlue Airways code between the United Arab Emirates and the United States in airspace prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration to U.S. operators.

This conduct also violated a consent order issued in October 2020 fining Emirates for operating other flights in airspace under an FAA prohibition.
Emirates was ordered to pay $200,000 under 2020, opens new tab order and another $200,000 if it violated the order within a year.

An Emirates spokesperson said in a statement that the airline had intended to operate the flights at or above the restricted level but that in flight, air traffic control did not give clearance to ascend or had instructed flights to operate below the level.

“Our pilots duly followed ATC (air traffic control) instructions, a decision which is fully aligned with international aviation regulations for safety reasons,” it said.

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JetBlue, whose code share with Emirates ended in 2022, declined to comment.

The department said flights at issue had traversed the Baghdad Flight Information Region below certain altitudes, which the Federal Aviation Administration has prohibited all U.S. air carriers, all U.S. commercial operators and code shares from operating without special permission.

Emirates could face another $300,000 fine if it violates the rules again within a year.

The Emirates spokesperson said in the statement that the airline no longer operated flights with U.S. carrier codes over Iraqi airspace.

Emirates told USDOT it prioritizes the safety of passengers, employees, and other airspace users, adding the flights in question only operated below the allowed level “as a result of direct instructions from the relevant air traffic controllers” and in some cases to avoid a collision.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.