After 20 Years, The U.S. Air Force Now Needs Permission To Fly In Iraqi Airspace

A U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon, flying in a two-aircraft formation, launches electronic countermeasure flares, following an aerial refueling mission over Iraq, Jan. 22, 2008. The aircraft are part of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing operating from Balad Air Base, Iraq. U.S. Central Command Air Forces

Permission Now Needed To Fly In Iraqi Airspace -- Air Force Times

For more than 20 years, the Air Force flew through Iraqi airspace at will: First, to enforce the no-fly zones established after the Persian Gulf War, and later to support the latest Iraq war.

But with the end of the U.S. military’s mission in Iraq, the Air Force now has to ask permission to transit Iraqi airspace — and only for a brief time at that, an official from U.S. Transportation Command said.

Complicating matters: Flights over Iraq usually pass over Turkey, requiring a separate clearance process.

As a result, the Air Force is entering a period of adjustment.

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Update: US Air Force must seek permission to fly over Iraqi airspace -- FOX News

My Comment: It's been 20 years already .... wow .... it feels like only yesterday that the first Gulf War happened.