Settlement covers two airlines
Air France and KLM agreed to a combined $425,000 settlement with the US Department of Transportation over flights through restricted Iraqi airspace, according to NOS and Anadolu Agency. NOS reported that KLM’s component was $320,000 and that Air France was also penalised, meaning the KLM figure is part of — rather than additional to — the combined total. The report did not separately state Air France’s allocated component.
The settlement’s payment schedule also differs from its headline total. NOS said $265,000 must be paid within 60 days, while the remainder becomes payable only if the airlines again operate through the prohibited airspace within one year.
Codeshare rules extended US restrictions
Codeshare agreements allow multiple airlines to market seats on the same service under different flight numbers. KLM works with Delta Air Lines under such an arrangement, and the agreements can include restrictions on which airspace may be used. US rules prohibit operations by US carriers in certain foreign-managed airspace where conflict, militant activity or heightened tensions may endanger civil aviation.
NOS reported that the affected KLM flights operated between January 2022 and May 2025 and passed over Iraqi territory below 32,000 feet, which was not permitted under the applicable restrictions. KLM did so hundreds of times, while Air France operated 30 flights over the area. A KLM spokesperson said both airlines had strengthened measures intended to ensure future compliance with airspace restrictions.