The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) assessed Air France and KLM a combined $425,000 over flights carrying Delta Air Lines’ code that flew below a federal altitude limit in restricted Iraqi airspace.
Orders dated Oct. 23 set penalties of $105,000 for Société Air France, S.A. (Air France) and $320,000 for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM). Air France must pay $65,000 and KLM $200,000 within 60 days, with payments directed to the U.S. Treasury. The unpaid $40,000 Air France balance and $120,000 KLM balance become due only if the respective airline violates its own order’s payment or cease-and-desist terms within one year.
Air France’s order covers April 2022 to November 2025 and counts more than 30 flights in the Baghdad Flight Information Region carrying Delta’s code. KLM’s order cites more than 100 such flights from January 2022 to May 2025.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restricts U.S. operators from flying below Flight Level 320 in the Baghdad region. DOT codeshare authorization conditions extend those prohibitions to foreign airlines when they carry a U.S. carrier’s code.
The airlines told DOT their flight plans called for altitudes above the limit. They said local controllers sometimes ordered descents or denied clearance to climb because of conflicting traffic, and that crews followed those directions. Both carriers argued the flights qualified for an emergency exception, which DOT rejected in the orders. They also said passengers and crew were not adversely affected.
DOT said the enforcement action focused on the airlines’ decisions after descents became recurrent. The department said the carriers should have rerouted flights or removed Delta’s code; crews’ in-flight compliance with controller instructions was not the basis for the penalties. Both airlines agreed to orders directing them to avoid similar violations.
Each order is scheduled to become final 10 days after its Oct. 23 service date unless a timely petition for review is filed or DOT initiates a review.
