US fines Virgin Atlantic $1 million for flights over Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is fining British airline Virgin Atlantic up to $1.05 million for flying over restricted airspace in Iraq. The U.S. says the flights violated U.S. restrictions because Virgin Atlantic was flying the planes under a so-called code-sharing deal with U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines. The U.S. Transportation Department says the flights occurred between September 2020 and September 2021. Virgin Atlantic says the overflights were inadvertent, and it has since rerouted them. Atlanta-based Delta owns 49% of Virgin Atlantic. Half of the $1 million fine will be waived if Virgin Atlantic avoids similar violations for one year.