All Swedish air traffic to Iraq has been canceled until further notice, the Swedish Civil Aviation Authority has announced.

The decision was taken on August 10, after it was revealed that a Swedish passenger aircraft had been shot at in north-eastern Iraq as it took off on August 8, according to Swedish news agency TT.

"We have made this decision in order to protect the safety of both passengers and crew," said Eva Axne, head of air safety at the authority.

Two airlines, Viking Airlines and Nordic Airways, currently fly regularly between Sweden and Iraq.

Crew members on a Nordic Airways MD-83, carrying 130 passengers, reported seeing someone firing shots at the plane as it took off on August 8.

The aircraft was not damaged. It landed at Stockholm's Arlanda airport on August 9 without the passengers noticing that anything was amiss, TT reported.