The US Department of Transportation has fined Lufthansa $220,000 and its subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines $200,000 for operating flights carrying United Airlines' designator code in Iraqi airspace where flying was prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "The airlines were ordered to cease and desist from future similar violations," the DOT says. On 16 October 2020, the FAA amended and extended a special federal aviation regulation prohibiting all US air carriers, US commercial operators, and "all persons exercising the privileges of airman certificates issued by the FAA", as well as all operators of civil aircraft registered in the USA from conducting flight operations in the Baghdad Flight Information Region at altitudes below a specified flight level. An investigation by the DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) revealed that, between March 2022 and April 2024, Lufthansa operated multiple flights carrying the UA code in that airspace. "By operating flights carrying the UA code in airspace in which the FAA prohibited US operators and airmen from flying, Lufthansa's operations violated the conditions of its statement of authorisation," the DOT says in a 30 December regulatory filing known as a "consent order". In a response from Lufthansa included in that filing, the airline says its "instances of noncompliance were inadvertent and resulted from the local air traffic control centre not granting the authorisation to aircraft to ascend to FL320 [flight level 320] at ORBB FIR [the Baghdad Flight Information Region] although such clearance was duly requested and firmly believes that flight safety was not compromised". Lufthansa adds that it "fully co-operated with the department with its investigation and has implemented procedures to enhance pilot awareness and compliance with the relevant regulation". Similarly, a separate same-day consent order notes that a separate OACP investigation found that between February 2022 and March 2024 Swiss operated flights carrying United Airlines' code in the prohibited airspace. Swiss issued a similarly worded response to its parent Lufthansa as part of the consent order, noting that it "avers that it is fully confident that flight safety was not compromised". The fines are the latest in a series issued by the DOT for violations of Iraqi airspace. The docket for the investigation contains 12 consent orders, including the two for Lufthansa and Swiss. Other airlines impacted are South African Airways, Emirates, Volaris, KLM, Air Canada, Etihad, American Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines.

Swiss has announced that a crew member of flight LX1885, which made an emergency landing in Graz, Austria on 23 December, has died in hospital. The flight, operated using an Airbus A220-300, was flying from Bucharest to Zurich when it made an emergency diversion because of engine problems which had led to smoke in the cockpit and cabin. Although the aircraft landed safely at Graz, 12 of 74 passengers received medical attention following evacuation on the runway. Of the five crew, four received medical supervision and one was airlifted to hospital, where he subsequently passed away. "We are devastated at our dear colleague’s death," says Swizz chief executive Jens Fehlinger. "His loss has left us all in the deepest shock and grief. Our thoughts are with his family, whose pain we cannot imagine. I offer them my heartfelt condolences on behalf of all of us at Swiss. And we will, of course, be doing everything in our power to help and support them at this extremely difficult time." Chief operating officer Oliver Buchhofer adds that the airline is examining the cause of the incident along with the relevant authorities. "We have many questions, and we want them answered," he says.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of downing an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190 on Christmas day, according to a translated interview posted on his official X account. “We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia. This is a fact, and no one can deny this fact,” says Aliyev in the video posted on 29 December. The E-190, flying from Baku to Grozny, on 25 December, was forced to make an emergency landing near Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. In his statement, the president details that the aircraft was damaged over Russian territory, near the city of Grozny, and almost lost control, adding that “means of electronic warfare put our plane out of control.” He adds that the tail of the plane was also damaged “as a result of fire on the ground”. “The fact that the fuselage is riddled with holes indicate that the theory of the plane hitting a flock of birds, which was brought up by someone, is completely out of discussion.” “It is possible that when the plane was damaged, when it was hit, the pilot could have perceived it as a collision with birds, because it would probably never have occurred to anyone that our plane might come under fire while flying over a friendly country,” he goes on to say. At the same time, the president believes the downing of the aircraft was not a deliberate act, while accusing Russia of attempting to cover up the cause with what he called “absurd theories”. “We are not saying that this was done intentionally, but it happened,” he says. “Therefore, admitting guilt, apologizing in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about this – these were measures and steps that should have been taken.” Russian president Vladimir Putin on 28 December issued an apology for what he called a “tragic incident” though he stopped short of acknowledging that Russia had shot down the aircraft.