WASHINGTON – The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has imposed a fineof $400,000 on Emirates for operating flights carrying the JetBlue Airwayscode through Iranian airspace during a time when tension was high betweenTehran and Washington last year.
The airline was ordered to cease and desist from future similar violations.
The department granted Emirates economic licensing authority to displayJetBlue Airways’ designator code (B6) on flights operated by Emirates toand from the United States so long as Emirates does not permit the JetBluecode to be carried in airspace in which the FAA prohibits U.S. operatorsand airmen from flying.
An investigation by the Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protectionfound that for 19 days in July 2019, Emirates operated flights carrying theB6 code over parts of Iranian airspace despite the FAA issuing a Notice toAirmen prohibiting U.S. airmen and operators from flying in that region.
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According to a press release, FAA issued the NOTAM due to heightenedmilitary activities and increased political tensions in the region thatpresented a risk to US civil aviation operations and carried the potentialfor miscalculation or misidentification.
By carrying the B6 code on flights in airspace prohibited by the FAA,Emirates violated the conditions of its authority to operate and engaged inpassenger operations to and from the United States without proper DOTauthority, it concluded.
