US fines Lufthansa & SWISS for violating FAA's prohibited airspace regulations

The penalties against Lufthansa Group carriers were based on findings by the DOT’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP). According to a USDOT statement, between March 2022 and April 2024, Lufthansa operated several flights carrying the United Airlines code in FAA-prohibited airspace for US operators. Similarly, an OACP investigation revealed that SWISS conducted multiple flights in restricted areas under the United Airlines code between February 2022 and March 2024.

Earlier this month, Ethiopian Airlines was fined $425,000 for operating United Airlines codeshare flights over restricted airspace between Ethiopia and Djibouti. Etihad Airways also faced a $400,000 fine for conducting flights carrying JetBlue Airways’ designator code in prohibited zones.

In September, Air Canada received a $250,000 fine after operating numerous United codeshare flights over restricted airspace between October 2022 and January 2023.

The most substantial penalty this year was directed at Emirates with a fine of $1.8 million for flying JetBlue Airways’ code over restricted areas from December 2021 to August 2022.

Virgin Atlantic was fined $1.05 million earlier this year for flying Delta Air Lines' code over Iraqi airspace when an FAA Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) was active.

Flight restrictions are implemented globally by the FAA due to safety concerns or diplomatic issues affecting certain regions such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Iraq among others.

There are also specific restrictions on Russian flight operations within US airspace due to sanctions against Russia. Exceptions exist only for humanitarian or search and rescue missions authorized by the FAA or state aircraft with diplomatic clearance.

Additionally, routing restrictions apply within US airspace for flights originating from countries like China and Syria.