Turkish Airlines resumes flights to Iraq's Sulaymaniyah airport
A ban on flights to Sulaymaniyah Airport in Iraq will be lifted on Friday, Turkey's Transport and Infrastructure Minister said on Wednesday.
Turkish Airlines will resume its flights from Istanbul to Sulaymaniyah with seven flights a week, Turkish Transport Minister Cahit Turhan told Turkey-based Anadolu Agency.
On Sept. 29, 2017, Iraq's central government imposed a ban on all international flights into and out of the Kurdish region.
The ban against Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports came in response to the Sept. 25, 2017 referendum on Kurdish regional independence.
"Our country issued a NOTAM Notice to Airmen on Oct. 17, 2017 to stop all flights from Turkish airspace to the region," Turhan said.
He recalled that Iraqi officials removed the ban on March 15, 2018 on international flights as the control over airports in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah shifted to the Iraqi central government.
Turkey resumed flights to Erbil from Turkey, but the ban on Sulaymaniyah still continued, Turhan added.
