A FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 aircraft has been struck by gunfire after it landed at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq.
Flight FZ-215 from Dubai to Baghdad was carrying 154 passengers on board.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The incident, which is a suspected Islamic State attack, has forced certain airlines to cancel flights and triggered concerns over vulnerability of Baghdad International Airport to militant attacks.
Aviation officials believe that the gunshots came from Radwaniya, which is to the south of the airport.
FlyDubai said that the small-arms fire has damaged the fuselage of the aircraft.
However, all the passengers were safe and in no need of urgent medical treatment, the airline said.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataIraq Transport Minister Baqer Al Zubaidi has called on Arab counties to resume flights to Baghdad.
The Wall Street Journal cited Zubaidi as saying on Iraqi television: "We will take tough measures against the attackers of the plane, whoever they are."
Baghdad provincial council security committee member Saad Al Mutalibi said that security forces have initiated an operation in the Abu Ghraib area, to secure the surroundings of the airport.
Reuters reports that airlines from at least three countries suspended flights to Baghdad on Tuesday after the incident.
Over the past year, airlines plying into conflict zones have come under fears of attacks.
In July last year, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam was shot down in the eastern, rebel-held Ukraine.
Consequently, the US and European regulators have asked airlines flying over Iraq to operate at altitudes more than 30,000ft.
Image: A Flydubai Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Photo: courtesy of FlyDubai.
