Turkish flights to and from Sulaymaniyah, one of the largest cities in southern Kurdistan, were first suspended on 3 April 2023. At the time, Ankara justified the flight ban with alleged “threats” from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Since then, the ban has been extended six times.
Following a meeting between Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 9 October, it was announced that instructions had been given to resume flights from Turkey to Sulaymaniyah.
The flight ban on Sulaymaniyah Airport officially ended on 15 October when the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority sent a message via the Chebs Worldwide system, opening Turkish airspace to all Turkey-Sulaymaniyah flights.
Dana Mihemed Said, Press Officer at Sulaymaniyah International Airport, provided information to local media regarding the resumption of flights from Turkey to Sulaymaniyah.
Dana Mihemed stated that the first Turkish airplane will land at Sulaymaniyah International Airport tomorrow at 1:00 a.m. following the lifting of the ban. Accordingly, flights between the two countries will operate four days a week.