With Iraqi roads blocked, demand for flights from Baghdad soars
The continued instability in Iraq is forcing residents to flee. With land borders blocked by fighting, people are forced to wait more than a month for plane tickets.
On June 15, five days after the Islamic State (IS, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS) occupied the Iraqi province of Ninevah, Baghdad International Airport was jammed with passengers. The worsening situation prompted families to flee Baghdad, especially after the armed group announced its desire to occupy the capital.
With the rapid fall of Ninevah, now in the hands of insurgents, Baghdad’s residents are voicing great fear that attacks will be launched on the capital. On June 15, after Muhammad Naeem shouted at an employee of Iraqi Airways because of a three-hour delay of his journey to Erbil, the employee responded, “We are facing increasing pressure, and there is nothing I can do.” Naeem's family members, who were very nervous, had to wait at the airport.
