10.10.2025 17:02
The President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechirvan Barzani, requested the lifting of the flight ban to Sulaymaniyah during his meeting with President Erdoğan in Ankara. During the meeting, Erdoğan called the President of the Civil Aviation Authority and instructed him to lift the ban. While the KRG administration expressed its gratitude for the decision, Turkish Airlines announced that flights would soon resume.
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The President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani, met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara yesterday. One of the main agenda items of the meeting was the flight ban imposed on Sulaymaniyah Airport by Turkey since 2023.
"MY HALF IS ALSO SULAYMANIYAH"
According to Rudaw, during the meeting, Erdoğan asked Barzani, "Why are you so concerned about Sulaymaniyah?" Barzani replied, "I am the President of the Kurdistan Region, my half is also Sulaymaniyah."
ERDOĞAN GAVE INSTRUCTIONS
According to the news, upon Barzani's request, President Erdoğan called the President of the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority during the meeting to inquire about the status of the ban. After the official informed him that the ban had recently been extended, Erdoğan said, "Well then," and gave the instruction to lift the flight ban.
THANK YOU FROM KRG
The KRG Presidency expressed its gratitude to President Erdoğan in a written statement after the meeting: "We once again express our thanks and appreciation to the esteemed President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This decision is a sign of the strong relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Republic of Turkey."
The statement also noted that lifting the ban would enhance mutual cooperation and benefit the people of Sulaymaniyah.
THY: FLIGHTS WILL START SOON
Yahya Üstün, the Communication Director of Turkish Airlines (THY), confirmed that flights to Sulaymaniyah will resume. Üstün stated, "As the flag carrier, we proudly represent Turkey all over the world. We are happy to reunite our Sulaymaniyah route with the skies soon," he said.
Üstün also emphasized that regular flights would be conducted 7 days a week and that this route would strengthen the commercial, cultural, and touristic ties between Turkey and Iraq.
WHY WERE FLIGHTS BANNED?
Turkey had imposed a flight ban on Sulaymaniyah Airport in the spring of 2023. The justification given was the increasing activity of the terrorist organization PKK in the region and security concerns regarding its use of the airport.
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