Passengers stranded as airline loses licence

Many passengers now risk being stranded in the Middle Eastern country, though the exact number of passengers affected is not yet known.

“As far as I know, Nordic Airways had one flight to northern Iraq last Tuesday and another to Baghdad last Friday. There are most likely passengers expecting to fly back,” transport agency divisional manager Simon Posluk told news agency TT.

The Swedish foreign ministry said it had not yet heard from any concerned passengers in Iraq.

“The situation is quite new, so I think we’ll start hearing from people who have trouble making their way home later in the week,” said spokesman Kent Öberg.

The airline, which was operating with a temporary licence, was previously turned down by the Stockholm District Court when it applied for an extension on the perioid within which it had agreed to reconstruct the company.

Explaining its decision to revoke Nordic Airways’ licence, the Swedish Transport Agency said the carrier’s long-running financial difficulties meant it was “no longer able to fulfil its commitments and duties to its passengers”.

Nordic Airways has not yet commented on the agency’s decision.